Even Friendships Are Complicated
by xXDarkAngelKittenXx
Summary: Sonic finally agrees to take Amy on a date, but when things go wrong the pink hedgehog realizes that maybe they should just remain friends. So, with that established, why does Sonic feel like he's suddenly in love with her? Although, when Amy starts seeing another person, could another feeling he develops be jealousy? Rated T for possible swearing, and suggestive themes later on
1. Just Friends, Easy Right?

**Hello, people. I finally got around to this, I rewrote it since the first draft (that I never posted) so, I'm going to make THIS my main story. Couldn't entirely wrap my head around the other one. I guess I'm not meant to write action… oh well! Stick to what you know! If you want to know about any other my other stories (plus this and possible new ones), check under Story Progress in my profile at the very bottom. Helps you stay updated! ^.^**

_**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog, Amy Rose, or any other STH characters. They belong to SEGA. Anything else (_**song**_, _**brand**_-_**name**_, etc.) also doesn't belong to me.

* * *

x*Even Friendships Are Complicated*x

-Chapter One: Just Friends…Easy Right?-

* * *

"You're late…" Amy snarled, almost in disappointment and disgust.

Sonic stared at the pink female hedgehog before him with an apologetic look. She held a powerful glare that made him want to cower in a corner and her arms were crossed as she tapped her foot. She went through the trouble to buy a new dress and shoes, get her hair fixed and even wore make-up for the first time in her life and he shows up half an hour late looking half-dressed with a loose tie and an unbuttoned dress shirt. Though he at least tried to dress up as well, it would've been more appreciated if he had showed up on time!

"I'm sorry, Amy…Tails held me up and I lost track of time. Can you forgive me?" Sonic asked, hanging his head.

"I probably would if you'd bothered to fix the way you look before getting here." Amy said, her voice stern. The girl was but seventeen, and was a good few inches shorter than Sonic but if angered she could very well lead an army without question.

"I-I know, but I was in a rush to get here and I'm already late-" the girl placed a finger on his lip.

"Fix it. Now." she said in a hushed, demanding voice. He immediately started fooling around with the stubborn buttons of his shirt then messed with his tie. About three minutes of trying to figure it out, he looked back to Amy. She had calmed down to a certain extent, but he knew better by now. She was already peeved, why make it worse? All the while, Sonic couldn't help but wonder if he had made the right choice to agree to this so-called 'date'. Though at the time, the deal seemed fair, was it worth the trouble?

**~Flashback~**

"_**Hiya, Sonic!" Sonic jumped when he heard Amy's voice. Looking back at the pink hedgehog, who stood behind him now, he forced a smile.**_

"_**Hi…Ames…" he greeted. He was a little shaken from how she A) found him and B) sneaked up on him, "Is there something you need?" Sonic asked. Amy smiled.**_

"_**Well, since you asked, I'm here to offer an deal." Amy stated proudly.**_

"_**Wh-what kind of deal?" He was hoping it wasn't another scheme to get him to marry her. The last time he made a deal with her, he had signed a hand-written note saying he would marry her. It was pretty tough to get out of since not only had she shown everyone, but he had indeed signed it of his own free will. That was a disaster and a half…**_

"_**You take me on a date, and if it doesn't so well…I'll accept us being just friends." she said. Sonic blinked once, then twice. Did he hear right?**_

"_**You're saying if I take you on**_ one_** date, and considering how well it goes, you'll accept me just being your friend?" he repeated, just to make sure. She nodded, the smile never left. Even she knew that it was fair and he had to say he wanted to accept. But there had to be some sort of catch…**_

"_**What if it does go well?"**_

"_**Then you **_have_** to give me a chance, no questions asked." The fairness level just dropped by seventy-eight percent.**_

"_**Amy, you can't honestly think anything will ruin this. I mean, c'mon! The weather is absolutely perfect, Eggman's retired, and it just so happens to be my day off work. You planned so this would happen…" Sonic pointed out, accusingly.**_

"_**No, I didn't. I swear I didn't. I just want to know why you can't give me a chance. So, this is the only other way…" Amy trailed off. Of course there was the option of knocking him out, kidnapping him, and forcing him to be her boyfriend, but she didn't want to go down that road **_just_** yet.**_

"_**You didn't plan this?"**_

"_**No."**_

"_**You're not setting me up?"**_

"_**No."**_

"_**Are you gonna take 'no' for an answer?"**_

"_**Not really." Sonic sighed in defeat. He nodded and Amy squealed, locking him in a massive bear hug.**_

"_**Oh, Sonic! This is going to be the best date ever!" she gushed, "Pick me up at seven, and dress really nice. This is going to be a **_real_** date. You hear me?"**_

"_**But-"**_

"_**No, buts!" Amy interrupted with a pointed finger.**_

"_**Fine…Italian or-" The girl was gone. Looking around, he found that she rushed off to get ready. He looked down at his chilidog and looked at his watch. He had five hours until then. Something had to happen before then…**_

**~End~**

And wouldn't you know Tails needed a test subject for a new invention he created in the next hour? Well, not just him, but Shadow as well, though it still held him up and made him late. Okay, so maybe that wasn't the case because Tails let him go early and kept Shadow behind due to the date, but he was so tired, he fell asleep and realized he was late when he woke up. But he still showed up at least! Unlike other times when he just avoided it altogether…

"Sonic, are you even listening to me?!" Amy exclaimed. Coming out of his thoughts, he looked at the once-again enraged female.

"Sorry…" he apologized again. She huffed and blew her bangs out of her face.

"I said, because you're late, I lost the reservations I made and there isn't going to be another available until ten, which is too close to closing time." she repeated.

"Oh…well, maybe we can head to that Italian place downtown-"

"Booked."

"French is classy-"

"I can't read the menus."

"Mexican-"

"Do you seriously think I'm going to a Mexican restaurant in _this_ dress?"

"Well, Amy, what do you want me to do?!" Sonic exclaimed angrily. Amy was taken aback by his harsh tone. It was basically his fault they were in this mess!

"Don't you dare raise your voice at me! I ask for one date and the one time you show up, it's half an hour late and you make us lose the reservations! You have no reason to yell at me!" Amy shouted. People looked over at them and she glared back at them.

"What are you lookin' at?!" she exclaimed. They went about their business and she turned her attention back to Sonic.

"Okay, okay. Let's just calm down and talk this out. Are there any other fancy, _American_ restaurant you want to visit?" he asked.

"No…" Sonic hung his head, sighing deeply. The girl was impossible.

"Well, wait, you said you didn't plan this? How is it you have reservations?"

"I called here when I left you. That's why I was in such a hurry. I wanted a good table…only now it's been given away." Amy said, crossing her arms again. Sonic sweat-dropped.

"Okay, how 'bout this…"

* * *

'_It's official…Worse eighth time for a first date ever.' _Amy sighed. They sat in _**Applebee's**_ and though it had a nice atmosphere, it wasn't Amy's idea of a classy date. There weren't that many people, considering the late hour. Their argument lasted about twenty minutes tops and you don't even want to know the _first_ place he tried to take her to…therefore, it was nearly closing time. Sonic on the other hand, wasn't too fazed by the change of location.

"C'mon, Ames, cheer up. I'm taking you on that date you wanted, remember?" Sonic tried.

"I wanted a real date, Sonic. This is a place you come to hang out with some one." Amy said.

"Not entirely true, you should see this place on Valentine's Day!" he joked, but it didn't last too long when Amy didn't laugh with him, "Okay, Amy, what's up? It's not like you to get all depressed over changing the location. You're still with me."

"Well, that's not good enough anymore, Sonic! I wanted this to be special and you just had to ruin it…again!" Amy exclaimed sadly.

"Again? What do you mean again?"

"How dense can you be…" she muttered under her breath. She didn't look at him for the remainder of the 'date' and Sonic had an increasing weight of guilt building up inside. What had he done?

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Amy heard Sonic tell the waitress to keep the change as a tip, to which she gratefully accepted. Amy was already standing by the door, waiting for him. For once, the pink hedgehog was ready to get away from Sonic. Usually it was the other way around…

"Alright, Ames. Ready to go?" Sonic asked with his usual cheery tone. It made Amy even more depressed.

"Yes…" He opened the door for her and when outside, he picked her up bridal-style and ran her home. Within a few seconds, they stood in front of her house. Amy brushed her hair back into place and looked at Sonic, "Thank you for taking me out."

"Well, I guess I have to 'give you a chance' now, right?" Sonic said, though trying to sound like a joke to get her to lighten up, his tone sounded forced to come off happy.

"Actually, Sonic…I think it is best we remain friends…" Amy stated sadly. The blue blur was honestly shocked. Did he hear right? Maybe he had something in his ears today… Using his pinkie, he went in his ears, but they were totally clean.

"I'm sorry… did you say we _should_ stay friends?" he repeated. The pink female nodded, looking at the ground.

"Really, I don't think you're ready for that kind of commitment. A relationship is not something to be taken lightly. It doesn't make sense if one is forced to make the other happy just to feel satisfied with themselves." Amy said.

"I'm not forcing myself to make you happy! I genuinely care about your happiness, Ames," he stated softly, but his temper flared suddenly, "And how can you tell me when I'm ready to be in a relationship? You've been chasing me your whole life trying to force me into one!" Sonic exclaimed.

"It was because I loved you!" she shot back.

"No, you were _infatuated_ with me. You don't love me, you _think_ you love me because of what I did years ago. You, of all people, should know the difference between the two since you like to be Little Miss Matchmaker. I have no problem loving you, as a friend. But I can't do that when you want to love me as a…lover." Amy played with the ruffles on her dress, knowing he was right. Now, having been said, she realized all the heartache she caused herself. Trying so hard to be with him, when it really just pushed him away.

"Alright, fine. I won't bother you about being together ever again." she said, turning to enter her home. Sonic caught her wrist before she could get in the door.

"Hey, you said if things didn't go well, you would accept us being friends." he pointed out.

"Yeah, and?"

"Well, are we still friends or not?" Sonic asked, getting straight to the point.

Amy looked in the eye and asked, "Even after all those years, you'd still want to be my friend?"

"Of course! I mean, who else can I count on to be there for me? Whether I want you to be or not?" Sonic laughed, and for the first time that night, she did too, "So…we cool?"

"Yeah, I guess…" Sonic gave a small cheer, making Amy smile from his childish behavior.

"Okay, now, how about I take you out on a _friendly_ date, tomorrow? Does ice-cream sound good?" he saw the female give a nod, "Alright, then. I'll see you tomorrow. And, uh…dress causal." he added the last part for laughs.

"Whatever. Goodnight, Sonic."

"Night, Ames." When the door had shut, Sonic stood there staring at the door. He was deep in thought about what he had just said. _'Did I just ask her out?'_ he asked himself. Finally, he slowly walked away from Amy's house and in the direction of his. This question never left his mind for the remainder of the night.

'_The way I worded it…could it have come off as me asking her out? I mean, I meant it in a friendly way; I even said it was friendly! But…date? What was that about…?'_

Upon reaching his humble home, Sonic went straight for his bedroom and laid down. Not bothering to undress, he stared at the blank wall to his left trying to sleep, but no matter what, he couldn't get his words out of his head! It was really starting to bother him.

'_Maybe after tomorrow, I'll feel better. It'll be over and we'll go back to being friends. Yeah…'_

And besides…Amy probably understood what he meant, right?

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Once Amy had closed the door, she just stood and stared at it. She thought about what Sonic had said. _'Did he just ask me out?'_ she asked herself. The pink female blinked a few times, wondering if she was dreaming and that the whole day was going to start over, or she would wake up in time to start their date over. Three times…

One…

Two…

Three…

…Four… She looked around. She still had on the same dress, she was still in her living room…

Okay, she wasn't dreaming. But, it made her wonder if he really meant it like that. Sure, he put the word 'friendly' in front of the word 'date', but isn't that how it usually starts out? Like, maybe hanging out, and then…

'_No, you're way ahead of yourself. I have a hard time believing that's what he meant. I mean, it's Sonic. The subject of dating was always a sore subject with him. Joking or not…'_ Amy sighed and shook her head. She headed up to her room and changed into a pair of clothes to sleep in, before slipping under the covers. She stared up at her blank walls and ceiling.

'_Maybe it's possible…'_ the little hedgehog thought hopefully. Sighing once more, she turned over and tried to get some sleep as one question stayed on her mind.

_Being friends…easy right?_

* * *

**So, what do you think? I finally worked this out to my liking and I think it's pretty decent. As previously stated, I lost interest in the other story I started, so I'm with this one. I'm just going to stick with what I write best. Hope you guys understand. Oh, and please leave a comment on how you might like the story or how it could be improved. Thanks! Until next time... -D.A.K**


	2. I Won't Say I'm in Love

**Well, I got seven reviews for the first chapter, so I guess I'm doing something right! Just to clear up any possible confusion, this is taking place on Earth, not Mobius. That's why you'll see things from our world periodically in the story. Just thought I'd make it clear… Moving on.**

_**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own any STH character, they belong to SEGA. I also don't own anything else (_**brand-name, song, etc.**_).

* * *

x*Even Friendships Are Complicated*x

-Chapter Two: I Won't Say I'm in Love-

* * *

_**Meet me in the ice-cream shop near your house -Sonic**_

Amy stared at the phone's screen for a couple more minutes. It wasn't even noon, yet Sonic was already up? Kind of strange, don't you think? But shaking it off, the pink female got out of bed and took a shower. Fifteen minutes later, she got dressed; A simple yellow t-shirt with puffed short sleeves, denim miniskirt, and yellow flats.

'_Looks casual enough…'_ she thought, satisfied with her choice. Looking in her mirror, she smiled at herself, _'And not to mention cute!'_ Amy thought with a wink to her reflection. Giggling, she grabbed a purse, and left her home. It was a good mile and a half to the shop from where she stood, and she found that she wasn't in too much of a rush.

It was just a friendly…date, right? No need to hurry then.

~.~

Sonic tapped his fingers on the table as he looked around the little ice-cream shop once more. He leaned in the palm of his head, gazing at the doors. For once, the blue blur got somewhere _early_. And waking up before noon? Today was a _really_ good day for him! But he realized the downfall to arriving early…the waiting.

Oh, god, did he hate waiting! It was not in his nature to wait too long, and he was honestly thinking Amy was standing _him_ up this time. If she didn't show up in the next two minutes, he was going to race out of here, go find her, and then-

Suddenly, the cow bell above the door went off and finally, Amy came in. She looked around before spotting him and walking over to the table, though she had a weird face. Probably because he was here first, for a change. As she walked closer, he couldn't help but notice her appearance. That outfit of hers was pretty cute… Sonic could've sworn a record just scratched.

'_Did I just think she was _cute_? What is happening to me?!'_ he took a calming breath before Amy was close enough to hear it. Maybe a little conversation would take his mind off of things.

"Hey, Amy. Took you a little while to get here, huh?" he joked. Amy then looked even more shocked than she had before. _'What is so shocking?'_ he asked himself.

"Well, sorry everyone can't get ready in a 'Sonic-Second' like you can." the female hedgehog sassed. Sonic found himself chuckling slightly as she sat down.

"That's a good one, Ames. You come up with that yourself?" he threw back. She playfully glared at the blue hedgehog for a minute.

"Okay, I thought we were off to a good start…what happened?"

"Nothing! You sassed me first, so I sassed you back. That's how it usually works!" Amy reached over and hit his arm. They were soon laughing together. _'Maybe this _was_ a friendly hang-out, but he only said date, as a way to make it up to her.' _she thought.

"Alright, fair enough. So, um…what now?"

"We eat ice-cream, duh! I hope you don't mind if I ordered for you…" he trailed off. The pink female's eyes widened in surprise. Who was this hedgehog?

"N-No, I don't mind. Well, I would if it's something I can't eat." she replied.

"Something you can't eat? It's ice-cream, are you lactose intolerant?" he asked.

"No."

"Is it something inside the ice-cream…"

"Peanuts."

"What are you-?"

"I'm allergic to peanuts. Any kinds." Sonic raised an eyebrow. Why hadn't he heard this before?

"Since when have you been allergic to peanuts?" the blur asked, seriously confused. The girl sighed.

"I have been all my life. Why do you think I always refuse the cans of peanuts you give me?" Amy asked, a little irritated. He's known her for five years and this is new to him…? What did she see in him….

"Oh. I thought you didn't like the kind or something. Sorry, but you won't have to worry." Amy raised a questioning eyebrow as to what he meant, but then a guy with an cheerful smile came over with two bowls in hand.

"Well, it seems she did show up after all! Good, good. Now, we have a Chocolate for the gentleman, and a Mint Chocolate Chip for the lady. Enjoy!" He set the bowls down and left. Amy had a huge grin on her face. This was her all-time favorite!

"Oh, Sonic! How did you know?" she gushed.

"Well, I remember you telling me your favorite sometime ago." Sonic said, matter-of-factly. The pink female wasted no time to grab her spoon and dig in.

"That was like a year ago. How is it you can remember that, but not figure out I was allergic to peanuts?" Amy asked, with a small attitude. The blue hedgehog laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head. Maybe he just didn't pay attention to certain things…ironic he should say that now.

"Uh, well…you don't want the ice-cream to melt, Amy! Best hurry up and eat!" he blurted out, changing the subject. The girl eyed him up for a few seconds before dropping the subject. She'd let him get away with this since he was at least trying to be her friends, for once.

* * *

Minutes later, they stood outside the shop walking towards Amy's house. The trip was surprisingly quiet as both hedgehog were deep in thought. Sonic still had a weird feeling around the pink hedgehog and he couldn't tell what it was. The whole 'date' thing was over, so what was it? He's been acting strange ever since last night. Waking up earlier than usual, arriving first, and he even said Amy was cute!

…Well, he didn't really say it, he thought it. But moreover, he was _checking_ _her_ _out_ to notice she was cute! When did Sonic the Hedgehog start checking her out?! All these years he's never had one single thought towards her anything (unless you count all the times he thought of her craziness) and now he's…he was…

'_I need to do something about this. Take my mind off things…'_ he thought. Running always seemed to clear his head, but he felt that wouldn't do the trick this time….but he had to try anyway.

Amy, on the other hand, was trying to figure where they stood. She, too, had a weird feeling around Sonic, and it wasn't the usual butterflies she had when Sonic occasionally slowed down to pay attention to her. It was more of a…distant feeling. The pink female always thought she had a connection with Sonic, but now, it was like she didn't know him at all. And his strange behavior didn't help either. He was nicer than usual, he actually proved to be a good listener, and he showed up _before_ her! That's a little odd, even for him…

'_Is he finally coming around right when we agreed to be friends? It doesn't seem like it, but he _has_ been acting strange…'_ Amy pondered on it a little bit more, before realizing they were coming up to her house. They both stopped right outside the door.

"Um, thanks for the ice-cream." Amy said sheepishly, twiddling her thumbs.

"No problem…" Sonic replied, looking around. They stood there awkwardly, waiting for one or the other to say something else, but it seemed neither knew what to say at that point. Let's do it again, soon? I had fun? All they did was have ice-cream!

"Well…I'll see you later, then…" Amy spoke up.

"Uh, yeah. See ya…" he said, watching her go inside. And just like last night, he stared at her door in thought. That weird feeling he had was even stronger than before, and it bothered him. He needed help…

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Amy stood in her living for a few minutes, thinking. Right up until the point where he walked her home, things were fine between the two. Now, she feels awkward around him? What was going on? And what was up with him? It wouldn't make sense for Sonic to like her _now._

The pink hedgehog sighed to herself. This being friends thing was hard…maybe she should've took up Sonics' offer to give her a chance, then she probably wouldn't need to second guess herself about…well, everything they do! Or everything Sonic does…either way, it was complicated. And she hated complicated things.

* * *

A little bit later, after running around the city a couple times, Sonic found himself back on Amy's doorstep. Like all the other three times he's done it….he didn't get it. He would run and come back here, no matter what. He's done it THREE TIMES! This was getting frustrating. He didn't know what was going on, or why it was happening but he needed some answers and he needed them now.

Forcing his feet to move, he ran to Tails' house in Mystic Ruin. Not even bothering to knock, he burst through the door, startling the poor fox.

"Tails, I'm home!" he shouted loudly, though the boy was right in his face.

"Sonic, how many times do I have to tell you to stop doing that?" he asked, irritated.

"You can tell me all you want, doesn't mean I'm going to stop!" Sonic exclaimed, slamming the door shut. The young boy sighed.

"I suppose there's a reason you're here." he asked, calming himself down.

"There is actually. You see, I got a problem."

"Tell me about it…" Tails muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing! Go on!"

Sonic glared at him, before continuing, "Okay, so here's the deal. I was with Amy today and I had this really weird feeling around her and I want to know what it is, 'cause I didn't have it before. Think you can help?"

"A weird feeling around Amy?"

"That's correct. Sound familiar?"

"Yes it does, actually. I think you might like her. Or you did, and it's just coming out now." Tails stated. Sonic stood there blinking for a few moments, before laughing.

"Hahaha! That's a good one, Tails. But seriously, what is it?" he asked, suddenly serious.

"Well, you said you've never had this feeling around her before, did anything happen between you two from last night to now?"

"Yeah, we kinda, uh…made a deal. I take her on a date, and if things don't go right, she'll accept us being friends - just friends. So, I showed up half an hour late, lost the reservations she made, and ended up taking her to Applebee's. And now we're friends. I don't see how this is important to my problem…" the blur trailed off when the fox started to walk away.

"Believe it or not, Sonic, but it sounds like you like her. That's the best I can explain it." Tails said.

"No, I don't, Tails! Why would I like her all of a sudden?!" Sonic exclaimed.

"I don't know. That's just how love works I guess."

"No, it is not! I'm not saying I'm in love, 'cause I'm not. I won't say I like her either, 'cause I don't. That is not and will not be the problem, now help me for real!" the blue hedgehog whined.

"What am I supposed to do?" Tails asked.

"Help! Me!" Sonic cried. The yellow fox sighed in frustration. Of course, Sonic would be stubborn about the current situation he was in. The fox knew he liked Amy all those times he ran away, everyone did, but even he was curious as to why he was coming out with it. And now of all times?

"Alright, Sonic. Tell me what I'm supposed to do to help you." he stated calmly.

"Can't you like make some kind of device that will tell me if I'm in- if I like her or not?" the hedgehog pleaded.

"No, this isn't about technology. These are your feelings, how am I going-"

"You know what, never mind. I'll just go." Sonic interrupted.

"But Sonic I-"

"Nope, it's obvious you don't know, so I'll go somewhere else. I'm won't say I'm in love, Tails…'cause I'm not." and with that, he took off.

Tails looked at the spot where Sonic previously stood. What was his problem with admitting he liked a girl, much less Amy? The little fox has never seen him so confused and angry about _a feeling._ Could it be possible that Sonic really did like her after all?

* * *

**And here is where we bring chapter two to a close. So, how was that?! It's getting all serious now! Next chapter, I might bring in a new character to shake things up, how 'bout it? Sorry if Tails seemed a bit OOC, with the being irritated at Sonic thing, but you know…things happen. Anyways, please leave a comment on how you might have like it or how it could be improved! Until next time… -D.A.K**


	3. Some Batty Advice

_**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own STH characters, they belong to SEGA. Anything else (_**brand-name, song, etc.**_) does not belong to me either.

* * *

x*Even Friendships Are Complicated*x

-Chapter Three: Some Batty Advice-

* * *

The next day didn't come too easy for Sonic. He was awaken by his job calling him to come in an hour early and when he got there, all he could think about was Amy and his feelings. He was so distracted that he fell and sprained his ankle stepping off a curb. Everything was frustrating him to no end and he yelled at one of the employees for pestering him. So, he left early and went home.

Now, in the comfort of his own home, the blue hedgehog was still plagued by the pink female. Of course, he could always go back to Tails, but after the way he stormed out, he wasn't so sure the fox would be too happy to see him. He had no other person he could talk to! This was the kind of thing he would go to Amy about, but it was _about her._ That wouldn't do…

'_There's got to be some reason behind what's going on with me. I can't come to the conclusion I like her, so what else could it be?'_ he asked himself, looking around his living room in thought. His emerald green eyes caught sight of a picture of him and a brown chipmunk with auburn hair smiling and holding each other. A light bulb went off in his head.

'_I can ask Sally! She's always been an understanding person.'_ Sonic jumped up from his couch and to his phone to call her.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

"**Hello?"**

Sonic was relieved the girl answered her phone, "Hey…Sally?" he asked, just to make sure.

"**Yes, this is she. Who is this?"**

"You don't remember me?" Sonic asked, frowning. There was sudden giggles heard on the other line.

"**Of course I do, you idiot! I could never forget you. Plus, I have caller ID." **Sally joked. The blue hedgehog let out a dry laugh, not really finding her joke funny.

"Ha. Ha. Didn't take the high and mighty princess to be a jokester like me." he threw back. He could almost fell her roll her eyes.

"**Oh, Sonic…you haven't changed a bit, have you? How are you? It's been a while since you last called."**

"Uh, yeah, about that…I'm actually calling on a favor…" he said, nervously. She must've thought he was calling to get back together.

"**Oh…well, what is it?"** Sally asked, her voice wasn't as light as it had been.

"Well, you see. I have a problem, with myself. I have this weird feeling around…a girl and I don't know what it is. I was thinking maybe you could help me out since, you know…you're a girl." Sonic asked. There was silence on the other line for a while before he heard shifting.

"**Do you know this girl? Like, know her on a personal level?"**

"Some what. I'm her friend."

"**Does she like you?"**

"She used to."

"**And you have a weird feeling around her?"**

"Yeah." More silence, maybe the female chipmunk was thinking.

"**This sounds like you-"**

"Please don't say I like her, because I know I don't!" Sonic exclaimed into the receiver, cutting her off.

"**Well, what else do you think it could be?"** Sally asked calmly.

"I don't know! That's why I'm asking a bunch of other people what it is because I do not know!" the blue hedgehog exclaimed. He breathed a couple of times to calm down. This was really starting to get on his nerves.

"**Alright, alright. So you don't like her…maybe the feeling could be…you missing someone else?"** she suggested.

"Uh, I guess…but who would I miss so bad to feel weird around other girls?" More silence. Now, Sonic understood where that was going, "Sally, I told you I wasn't ready for that. Stop trying." he stated. A sigh was heard on the line.

"**That's not what it's about Sonic, and you know that. I understand why you left, but I'm talking about all the **_**other**_** girls you've dated."**

"Oh…" he felt stupid for accusing her of such a thing, "Sorry, but other than you, I don't miss my exes too much."

"**Well, then you-"**

"Don't. You. Say it." Sonic threatened.

"**You like this girl, Sonic."** Sally said anyway. He growled and threw the phone down on the couch, accidentally hitting the speaker button as he did so.

"I don't like her!" he exclaimed.

"**I don't know any other way to explain this to you, Sonic. That's how some people feel when they're around someone they don't usually think they could or would like. Have you tried talking to Tails about this, too?"** Sonic gave up and hung up on Sally. He was angry with her and mostly himself. He refused to believe he liked Amy. He just wouldn't! There had to be another explanation!

The blue hedgehog sighed and slumped on the couch. The phone started to ring again, but he chose to ignore it thinking it was Sally calling him back. He wasn't in the mood to be yelled at. Turning over, he tried to get a nap.

'_I don't like Amy…she's a friend…I don't like Amy…she's just a friend…'_ he chanted in his head until he eventually drifted off.

* * *

On the other hand, Amy rested peacefully in her bed, watching TV and eating a little late breakfast. Unlike Sonic, the blue hedgehog wasn't at all on the young girl's mind, which surprised her a bit. She realized that obsessing over the blue blur all her life had made her oblivious to certain things, main thing being herself. Today, the rose female would do some shopping, taking mental note of her bare walls and dresser tops. It had been a while since she rid her room of Sonic the Hedgehog merchandise…

Swallowing the last of her meal, she got up and took a shower. Afterwards, she dressed and left her home. In the opposite direction the ice-cream shop, was a shopping plaza. That's was where she was headed. Breathing in the nice air, she began her journey.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

It was about two hours later did Amy find herself on the path back to her house, with two armfuls of bags from various shops. She had to stop every few blocks to catch her breath from the heavy bags. It was proving to be a challenge, lacking the needed strength to carry these few things, but then again, battling Eggman was her workout…

"Need some help?" Amy jumped from the sudden voice, also dropping some of her stuff. Turning, she saw the owner of the voice to be Rouge the Bat. Having a job as a spy, the bat could sneak up on you just as if she wasn't there.

"Jeez, you scared me!" the little hedgehog instead returned, sighing in mild relief. The ivory bat rolled her eyes as she helped the rose-pink girl pick up her things.

"Well, sorry. It's not my fault you get scared so easily…" Rouge said. Amy glared at her.

"I don't get scared easily!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, you do. That's why you don't watch horror movies." the bat stated, matter-of-factly. The pink hedgehog huffed and continued on her path, which was much easier to do with Rouge's help.

"Whatever. What are you doing sneaking up on people, anyway?" Amy asked.

The curvaceous bat shrugged, "Eh, nothing really. I did a little window shopping, money's tight at the moment." she replied.

"You mean you haven't found any jewels to swipe and illegally sell?" the hedgehog pointed out accusingly. The bat gasped in an expression of fake hurt.

"Why, Amy! How rude of you to accuse me of going back to my thievery!" Rouge exclaimed, but smiling as she did so, "But, no. I mean, I'm in between jobs at the moment and renovating my new house is costing me a fortune." the ivory female explained. She then looked down into Amy's purchases.

"Don't even think about it, Rouge. I paid for it with my own money!" Amy quickly said.

"Oh, please. Things like this wouldn't sell very well anyway. I just wanted to see what was so heavy…" she said, still poking around her bags, "What're you gonna do with this stuff?"

"Just decorate my house a bit…" Amy hummed, as she found her keys and unlocked her door. Once inside, she took all the things she needed for her living room in there, and set the rest by the stairs so she wouldn't forget it.

"Wow…I thought you'd never take down all that Sonic stuff. You even repainted the walls!" Rouge said, looking around.

"Not yet, but they're next. As soon as I get some help…" the pink female said, popping the 'p' of 'help'.

"Why not ask Sonic, or Tails?"

"Tails already told me he has a busy schedule for the next few months. And Sonic…I don't even know about him anymore." Amy then sat on her couch, sighing. Rouge took a seat next to her.

"Why do you say that? You like him, dontcha? Plus, I think it'd be a great opportunity to 'accidentally' wear a skirt." the bat said, wiggling her eyebrows and winking. The rose-pink girl couldn't help but blush and giggle nervously.

"Yeah, right. I don't think so. What I meant was, Sonic has been acting strange around me for the last two days."

"Oh, yeah! I heard he finally took you out!" When she mentioned this, the hedgehog seemed to sulk.

"He did, but…it didn't go too well…"

"Well, Auntie Rouge is here! Tell me all about it."

* * *

When Amy finished her story, the bat was in utter belief. And a little shocked, too. She had visited Tails this morning, but he was in a bad mood, saying that Sonic was being stupid about something. The ivory bat didn't care too much about the blur's problems…until now. There was _no way_ she was going to let Sonic put a damper on Amy's overall mood. The pink hedgehog was too cheery for that.

"And all of that happened these last two days?" Rouge asked, to confirm. Amy nodded her head, with a small frown upon her face. The ivory bat scratched her head in thought, "Are you going to do something about it?"

"Do about what?" the pink hedgehog asked, confused.

"About Sonic ruining your first date with him! He's knows how special that meant to you!" the ivory bat exclaimed, defending her point. The pink female's gaze went to the floor.

"Well, I don't see what the big deal…Sonic said he went to out Tails first. Maybe he took a nap and overslept; at least he showed up."

"Come on, Amy, get real. Tails isn't the type of person to hold somebody back like that - if you let him know in advance. The nap, maybe, but he still ruined your date. And that's what matters." Rouge stated. Amy sighed.

"But, I'm fine with it. We agreed to be friends and everything. I honestly don't feel like I like him anymore. And he's been acting strange every since then." she said.

"Oh, nonsense. A little revenge never hurt anybody. This could be your opportunity to make Sonic realize what he missed out on!" the ivory bat said, smiling.

"I'm fine, Rouge. Honestly."

"You know what? I think I have just the perfect plan."

"Here we go…" Amy muttered under her breath.

"Okay, you know how Sonic and Shadow are sworn rivals, right? Well, start hanging out with Shadow. This'll surely get Sonics' attention. And when it does, he'll start competing with him to win you over. However, whoever you choose to be with is entirely up to you, but at the same time, you're making Sonic jealous and _want_ you're attention. So, it's a win-win either way it goes." Rouge explained, taking a few breathers afterwards.

"That seems a little harsh, playing them off each other like that. Messing with their feelings…and how do you know Shadow even likes me?"

"Honey, trust me when I say this; I've _seen_ the way Shadow looks at you now. He definitely has a crush on you!" the ivory bat stated, with a confident smirk on her face. Amy blushed.

"Really?"

"Yes! That's how I know this'll work. I'm telling you this is perfect! Foolproof, even." Rouge said.

"…Hmm. I guess, but what if they figure out I'm using them…?" Amy asked.

"Amy, whoever you truly want to be with will know if you truly want to be with them. Although, Sonics' been pretty oblivious when it comes to anything to do with you…"

"I never said anything about wanting to be with Sonic. And it won't take long for Shadow to see right through the front."

"Whatever! This is about making Sonic wish he had have paid you some attention! Are you gonna try or not?" The pink female nodded slightly and Rouge smiled, "That's my girl! Let me know how things go in a couple of days, kay?" The ivory bat stood and left as Amy pondered on the idea.

The pink hedgehog didn't really think Rouge's plan was totally foolproof, but she did like the idea of Sonic trying to fight for her attention. It would mean he actually did care all these years he ignored her. And Shadow…well, he wasn't too bad either. They had grown a relationship off of mutual respect and trust. If he did have a crush on her, it would probably make the 'using' him part easier.

However, she didn't like the idea of abusing the ebony hedgehog's trust. He was still that same powerful life form that could easily destroy anything with his bare hands and level entire cities with his powers. She didn't want to be the cause of it or be in the line of fire.

Amy sighed. Why did advice from Rouge make her feel worse? Was she really going through with this plan of hers? Looking at the shiny, porcelain figurine she bought and placed it on her coffee table in front of her. A tiny ballerina, frozen as she performed a spin. She had a smile painted on her face, but it looked as if she were a real person doing so. It made Amy smile.

Maybe things would be okay…

* * *

**Chapter three is done. I don't know if I'm straying a bit from the plot, but I feel there needs to be some kind of conflict building up between something. And, this is what I came up with… Yes, no, maybe? I'm willing to listen to the readers.**

**And I must address this before I go. This is directed towards **werewolf99. I only wish to state this once as I'm not very happy. Keep your 'fan characters' away from me. I do not want you giving me 'your full permission to use them however, whenever, or wherever' in any upcoming possible stories I have planned. Because I'm telling you now, they will not, even if I do request them. Honestly, the way you describe them as being 'disgusting' and saying 'you're proud you created them' is sickening. You've assaulted me with your pestering about it on about six of my other stories and have felt so…obligated to beg me to make a sequel just so _your fan character can be the highlight._ This will not happen, not now, not ever. If you want your characters to be in a story, create an account and make your own goddamn stories about them.

I'm not a generally mean person; I try not to be. But this…..has pissed me off beyond the point and I'm already in an irritable mood as it is.

Please. Do me a favor and never contact me EVER AGAIN. Do not fill up my inbox about your characters. If you like a story, fine, but do not beg me about this. If I don't ASK, I don't WANT. Simple as that. Good day to you sir.

**I apologize to those of you who were more interested with the story and not that, but I'm not in a good mood. School has been a pain in the ass and I've only gone for two days. Even with this, I'll still have time to write and continue to update as I can.**

***sigh* I'm such a downer today… But, please leave a comment on how you might've like the story or how it could be improved. Until next time… -D.A.K**


	4. How Hard Could It Be?

_**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own STH characters, they belong to SEGA. I also don't own anything else (_**brand-name, song, etc.**_).

* * *

x*Even Friendships Are Complicated*x

-Chapter Four: How Hard Could It Be?-

* * *

**x*Saturday*x**

"Okay, if I'm right, Shadow should be coming here in about three minutes." Rouge said. Moving her sunglasses to her head, her aqua orbs moved around the beautiful, scenic beach they were currently resting on. Of course it was still part of her (pretty ridiculous) plan to get 'revenge' on Sonic, but the ebony hedgehog knew how to make himself scarce, need be. So, for whatever reason, the ivory bat just so happened to know where the male liked to spend his Saturday evenings. Creepy, but apparently effective…

"So…what am I supposed to do again?" Amy asked.

The ivory female huffed, "I'm going to keep a lookout for Shadow, while you go over to the spot I showed you." she explained.

"I got that part, but what do I do _after_ he shows up?"

"…I don't know, that's on you." Rouge said, lying down on her towel.

"Yeah…thanks for the tips." Amy said, getting up from her spot. She grabbed her towel and walked away from the bat. Rouge didn't even seem to notice. Her destination was the most isolated part of the beach; Santiago's Point, a rocky cliff at the very end of beach. It was fitting fro Shadow to want to be there most of all.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Rouge giggled as she read a text from a friend, completely distracted from her task. The ivory bat went to work to send a reply. She was so distracted that she failed to notice an ebony hedgehog walk past her and towards the place Amy went to.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Amy hummed to herself as she tossed small rocks and pebbles down into the ocean below. Being so close to the edge scared her a bit, but she liked the breeze that came in every time the waves crashed against the rocky cliff. She understood why Shadow liked to be in secluded places such as these. With almost everything in Earth so industrialized, it was harder to find the untouched places like back on their home planet of Mobius.

"Amy?"

The pink hedgehog turned and found the ebony male she was ultimately waiting for. Being lost in her thoughts, she sort of forgot why she was there. But, she put on a smile and got ready for her 'performance'.

"Hi, Shadow. Long time no see." she greeted. Amy felt a little uneasy watching his blood red orbs looking her over in silence. It was soon broken, when he moved a bit closer and took a seat next to her.

"It hasn't been that long." he replied. The female took a breath of relief.

"Well, maybe not to you, but I'm a person that values her friendships." Amy said, truthfully. _'I can't believe how well this is going! All I have to do is be myself.'_

"You 'value' the friendship you have with me? I find that to believe."

"Why?"

"As you said, we barely see each other." he said. Amy looked down as she threw another rock over the cliff edge.

"That's actually your fault, y'know. You don't come around, or at least be in a place where it's easy to find you." the pink female mumbled the last part. Of course he wouldn't be in easy-to-find places; he enjoys his solitude, quiet, and peace. She and her friends were everything but. She'll even say that she can be a bit over-the-top at times.

"Maybe I could start…" it was all he said as the silence settled back in. Suddenly Amy's phone went off with a text message. _**I don't think he's coming… -Rouge**_

As suspected, the ivory bat didn't do her part. Putting away her phone, the female sat their with Shadow, throwing rocks into the ocean as he stared out into the horizon.

* * *

Some time later, Amy was on her way back to Rouge. The female bat had sand clinging to her body and her hair was matted, so it was obvious she went for a swim. She was spotted as she got closer.

"Oh, Amy! I was wondering where you were. I never saw Shadow come by so-"

"He came." Amy interrupted, sitting down in the sand. The ivory bat followed suit.

"He did? But…I didn't-"

"You weren't paying attention were you?" Rouge looked down with a nervous smile.

"You know me too well." she said, crossing her arms.

"I know." Amy replied proudly. Rouge then took her towel and wrapped it around herself.

"Alright, so if he did come by, what happened? You were gone for a while…" she said, winking. The pink female rolled her eyes.

"Well, we didn't talk for too long, but I did get his phone number…"

The ivory female smirked and nudged the other, "Oooh, someone's got a date!" she sang.

Amy started to blush, "I not going on a date! All this could mean is that he possibly wants to hang out with me sometime soon." she clarified.

"Yeah, but what does Amy say it is?" Rouge asked mockingly.

"I don't know! He just gave the number to me and left."

"Mysterious, isn't?" the bat said in an exaggerated fashion. The pink female sighed; Rouge and her ways…

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Sonic stared in the window of a music store, lost in his own little world. People passing by would look at him weird before moving on. Trying to get his mind back together, the blue hedgehog thought it would help to get some fresh air and walk about, rather than run. Of course, it did nothing as Amy was still on his mind…

"Excuse me, sir? I'm afraid I have to ask you to leave, you're disturbing my customers." a male rabbit came up to him and said. His emerald orbs looked at him for a moment. He looked a little young to have a job. And the people didn't seem too 'disturbed' as they kept moving on.

"Sir? Sir, did you hear me? You need to leave, please."

"My name is not sir." Sonic spoke suddenly.

"Pardon?" he asked.

"My name isn't 'sir'. My name is Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog, and I would like for you to address me as such." the blue blur snapped. At that moment, he had been subconsciously having a daydream about chilidogs, and not Amy, but he ruined it.

"Well, excuse me, sir…I-I mean-"

"My name is not sir!" Sonic exclaimed. The rabbit backed away a bit.

"I'm sorry I've upset you. I was just being formal, as I didn't know you're name before-"

"Well, then you've obviously been living under a rock to _not_ know who I am." and with that, Sonic walked off, with Amy back on his mind. His sudden outburst reminded him of the time a random guy came up to Amy calling out to her as 'girl' and 'babe'. She did the exact same thing and beat him with her hammer when he didn't stop. Not too much damage done, but it was brutal.

"Hey, watch it!" some guy yelled at him. Apparently, he had stopped walking. Another person brushed past him as he spotted a pink hedgehog and ivory bat walking on the other side of the street. He smiled - though he doesn't know why. He immediately made his way over to them.

"You remember that one time Cream yelled at this guy for trying to get her to buy Girl Scout cookies?" Rouge asked.

"Yeah. That was funny, since she was one at the same time." Amy laughed. Suddenly, Sonic was in front of them, walking backwards to keep up with them.

"Hey Rouge, Amy." he greeted. The girls exchanged glances before turning their attentions back to him.

"Hello, Sonic. Funny seeing you _walk._" Rouge sneered. The harsh attitude made the blue hedgehog curious.

"Um, I guess. I just need some fresh air."

"You'll get it faster if you run. Away. From us." the bat said. Amy shook her head.

"What she means is, it's really just a girl's day out today, so…you're ruining it." the pink female said, to cover up the bat's attitude.

"Oh, my bad. I'll go, but Amy…if it isn't too much-"

"She doesn't want to go anywhere with you!" Rouge interrupted rudely and loudly.

"_Rouge!" _Amy exclaimed. The ivory bat rolled her eyes. They all stopped at the same time.

"So…does her 'no' mean 'no' for you?" Sonic asked, sheepishly. He had no idea why he was behaving this way. It was starting to freak him out.

Amy thought about whether she should accept or not. Even if she really didn't want to be around him with his weird behavior, it felt kind of rude to decline when Rouge basically insisted it happened.

"I'm free anytime tomorrow after two." the pink hedgehog said. Rouge looked at her with disbelief.

"Great. I can pick you up at three."

"Okay…"

"See you tomorrow, then!" and Sonic ran off. Rouge hit Amy on her arm, hard.

"Ow!"

"Have you lost your mind?! Why did you say yes?" The ivory bat exclaimed.

"I didn't want to be rude!" the pink female defended.

"Well, it's going to be even more rude to stand him up if Shadow calls you tomorrow, won't it?"

The pink hedgehog thought about the chances of Shadow calling her tomorrow. It was possible, but she highly doubted that it would happen. Knowing the mysterious male, it would probably be a while before he called her.

"There's a million chances to one he calls me tomorrow. If he does…I'll figure something out. I mean, come on! How hard could it be to manage two 'dates' in one day?" Amy asked, being her optimistic self. Rouge couldn't help but shake her head. It was her plan, and even she knew that it couldn't work out too well.

* * *

**Sorry for the late update and short chapter. I had writer's block for some time and couldn't pull the beginning together. But I did! It's shorter than usual because I didn't want too much in one chapter, but I sort of ran out of ideas on some points. So, this is what I got done. Love it, hate it, whatever; I'm still going!**

**Leave a comment on how you might've liked it or how it could be improved, please! Until next time… -D.A.K**


	5. Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

_**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own any STH characters as they belong to SEGA, and not me.

* * *

x*Even Friendships Are Complicated*x

-Chapter Five: Teamwork Makes the Dream Work-

* * *

Amy sighed as the clock struck two-forty-eight. In front of her was a pile of papers, a few pens and pencils, and she currently sported a pair of rectangular framed glasses. These papers were applications to certain colleges she was considering and the deadline to get them finished were tomorrow. Of course, something so important should've been finished, but she thought about it just yesterday that her time was limited to send them in.

And Sonic was coming in less than twelve minutes…

The pink hedgehog sighed in frustration. '_I'm never gonna get done in time! I'll be too tired to continue when I come home…heck, I'm tired now!'_ she thought. The clock hit two-fifty.

"Maybe I could start college next year…" she mumbled to herself. Nodding sullenly, she took the glasses off, putting them in her case, and put the papers in a neat stack. Then carried then to her desk in the corner of her room and went downstairs.

If she had to be honest with herself, she didn't even want to leave her friends. The college she wanted was very far away. Far away from New York. As she said to Shadow, she was the type of person to think about things and how they would affect something she valued. To attend that college, she'd have to stay on-campus and she couldn't a plane ticket to visit every little break she got. Sighing, she shook the thoughts from her head.

She was mostly worried about what her friends would think if she got in. Especially, Sonic. How would he react? He was acting strangely around her for sometime. Just what would he do…?

Standing, she dusted invisible dust from her green skirt and straightened her silky white blouse. Once again, she threw the thoughts away. Might as well prepare for the day Sonics' planned.

Then, the door bell rung and a knock soon sounded after. Looking at the wall clock once again, it read exactly three o'clock.

'_Well…the day's not going to go any faster…'_ she thought as she went to the door and the cerulean hedgehog was smiling brightly behind it.

"Hey, Ames! I see your ready to go. Nice outfit, by the way." he said, a little all too quickly. As if he was worrying about messing up…

Taking in his appearance, he had a pair a jean shorts on, a dark green t-shirt with a thumbs-up graphic on it, and his usual running shoes. This made her wonder if he owned several pairs of the same style shoe. Then again, he did run a lot.

"Amy? You okay?" Her jade green orbs looked up to see his shining emerald ones. She realized she got lost in her thoughts staring at him. Shaking her thoughts away, she put on a small smile and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking…" Amy replied. Grabbing her purse, she came out and locked her door.

"Well, okay. Let's go." They started to walk in the direction of the shopping plaza. It was only a guess, but Amy had a feeling she knew where they were going, but wanted to ask anyway.

"Sonic, where are we going?" she inquired softly. He hummed with a slight smile on his face.

"I know it's not much, but I thought we could go for a movie." Sonic said.

"Why a movie of all things?" the way the pink female said that, came off as a complaint, but if it did, Sonic didn't pay attention to it.

"I couldn't think of anything else to do, really. That and I wanted to sneak in to a second after the first." he said, snickering a bit. Amy rolled her eyes.

"What movie do you plan to see?"

"Uh…I was hoping you'd pick. I don't care, to be honest." the blue male said, stuffing his hands in his pockets, looking down.

"Oh. The only thing I'm really into are cartoons…" she said, smiling a little.

"Fine by me. A cartoon we see then!"

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

"Hey, hands off the lady!"

Sonic was tossed outside by a bulky security officer and had to catch onto a nearby wall to avoid falling to the concrete ground. A second came out with Amy, but instead of tossing her out, he simply escorted her out by the hand.

"Aw, c'mon! What were doing wrong?!" Sonic wailed as the security guys looked down at him.

"You were trying to sneak into a second movie- which is against the building rules." the first one spoke gruffly.

"And _where_ exactly does it say that?" Sonic questioned, with a raised eyebrow. Putting his hands on his hips and tapping his foot, he looked on to the guy as he looked around.

"Uh…"

"My thoughts exactly. You just be lucky I don't report you to the manager for assaulting people! Come on, Amy. Let's take our business _elsewhere_." and with that, the blue hedgehog stalked off with his nose in the air.

Amy looked apologetically to the officers, "I'm so sorry about him. He's just a little…you know…"

"It's fine, ma'am. You're welcomed back anytime," the one who escorted her out said, but his gazed went in the direction the blue hedgehog went, "Just don't bring him." he said coldly.

Smiling, the pink hedgehog nodded, "I won't. Thank you." and she ran after the hedgehog.

"Can you believe those guys?! I could've broken something back there!" Sonic complained to Amy as she smiled softly listening to his rant. He was pretty peeved about how rudely he was thrown out without care. She heard his remark of 'hands off the lady!' and was happy to hear he cared.

"I mean, who do they think they are?" the blue male sassed.

"Security officers." Amy replied. His emerald green eyes went in her direction with a mischievous glint.

"Was that sarcasm?" he challenged. Closing her eyes and smirking slightly, she shrugged her shoulders.

"I have no idea what you're talking about Sonic!" the pink female said innocently. Sonic glared playfully at her before looking forward. He could her snicker as he did.

"Uh huh. Sure you don't…" the rest of the trip back to her house was silent as Amy giggled inwardly and Sonic silently thought of his revenge to those security officers.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

"Would you like to come in for a few minutes and rest?" Amy asked, turning her key in the lock.

"Sure. Though sitting is the last thing I wanted to do after sitting in those rotten theater seats…" Sonic laughed. Pushing the door open, the blue male looked around the smaller hedgehog's newly decorated home. It had been a while since the last time he'd actually been inside, back when she was still head over heels in love with him.

_But your head over heels in love with _her_ now…_

Sonic stopped in the middle of the living room and looked around. Did he just think that? Blinking in confusion, he turned when he heard soft footsteps coming his way.

"Do you mind if I take a quick shower and change?" Amy asked. When she saw Sonic shake his head, she disappeared upstairs. The blue male made himself at home by sitting on her couch, kicking his shoes off, and putting his feet up on her coffee table. Disregarding his previous, out-of-the-blue statement in his head, he looked around once again.

He remembered Amy's living room always having a homey feel to it. Though it was stronger now than she didn't have all that Sonic the Hedgehog merchandise around. He then remembered why he never came into her house but once or twice before now. How weird would you feel staring at a poster of yourself?

Sonic shuddered silently at that as he heard running water. His eyes then traveled to her coffee table, where his feet currently rested. He saw three tiny porcelain figurines on there arranged in a straight line in front of a small pot of yellow tulips. One was of an angel, complete with a halo and harp with a cloud under its feet. Thinking this related to her innocence, Sonic smiled. The next was a ballerina with a neat bun of painted brunette hair. He figured she liked dancing with this one. The last one was two people sitting on a bench; a girl and a boy as they stared in each other's eyes. The blue hedgehog didn't know what to think about that one. So he left it alone.

Yawning, he leaned back and got a little more comfortable just as the water stopped.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Amy hummed to herself as she came out the bathroom. Now dressed in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, she looked over to her desk. The college papers were still there, half completed. Biting her bottom lip, her eyes ran over the papers in thought. Of course she wanted to continue with her life and get a full education but some part of her was holding her back. And that part was the sentimental Amy that held her back on countless other things.

High school was easy since it was still near her friends, but a different state for four years? She wasn't sure if she could last that long with a trip to New York and even still she couldn't afford one every holiday. Sighing, she made her way back to the living room.

There she saw Sonic with his feet up and was breathing softly with his eyes closed. Amy giggled as he started to lean to one side. He was obviously tired just as she was. Shaking him slightly, he jolted awake.

"No water!" he exclaimed. Amy raised a questioning eyebrow. As his emerald orbs looked around before finally spotting her, he sized her up and down, "You heard nothing." Sonic said, grabbing his shoes. She smiled as he hurriedly made his way out.

Still hydrophobic…

* * *

Ruby red orbs opened slowly as they suddenly focused on an ivory bat staring back at them. A growl was soon heard from their owner and this got the bat's attention.

"Well, good morning Sleeping Beauty! Nice to see you, too!" Rouge smirked, when the ebony hedgehog sat up.

"Rouge…how many times do I have to tell you to not come uninvited?" Shadow said gruffly.

"Whatever." The bat said dismissively. Blinking, the ebony hedgehog looked at her expectantly.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Are you going to leave?"

"No." Rouge said simply, planting herself in a chair adjacent his bed. Huffing, the hedgehog laid back down.

"Well, then be quiet and let me sleep." he said, closing his eyes hoping to get some peace. But there wasn't any as the bat suddenly jumped on his bed.

"No can do, mister. We gotta talk." the ivory female exclaimed childishly, jumping up and down. Growling again, the male sat up.

"Will it make you go away?"

"Yep."

"Fine. You have ten minutes." Shadow snarled.

Rouge laughed as she got her way, "Okay, so word on the street is, you gave a certain someone your phone number." she started. The ebony male looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"And who's to say this is true and as to I gave it to?"

"If it's one thing we girls do, it's tell the best friend everything. So, are you going to tell me or do I get to see that cute little blush on your face when I say _her_ name?" the bat smirked, when the blush appeared, though small, anyway.

"So what if I did? It shouldn't be of any concern to you." he quickly said, averted his gaze.

"Did you call her yet?"

"No." The bat's aqua eyes gave a blank stare as the male said it effortless with no feeling at all.

"And why not?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Why does it matter when I call her?" Shadow asked, agitated.

"While you're wasting your time, 'sleeping in', Sonic is trying to make a move on Amy." the female stated, glaring at him now.

"How does this concern me?"

"You like her dontcha?" The male was silent for a few seconds. Her expectant aqua eyes stared at him, daring him to lie.

"Where did you get such a ridiculous idea from?" he asked, now crossing his arms.

"Oh, don't play innocent! You know exactly what I'm talking about! Call her!" Rouge urged.

"It's nine o'clock in the morning." Shadow pointed out.

"So?"

"So, I'm not going to." he finished.

"Shadow the Hedgehog, if you don't call her today, so help me, I'll drag you over there myself!" Rouge said, stamping her foot on the ground. The hedgehog looked at her unfazed by her aggression.

After a few moments of an intense staring contest, knowing the female wouldn't give in, he sighed inwardly, "…Maybe later…." he finally said. The bat smirked in triumph.

"Good. Now, don't think I won't ask Amy myself if you did or not, so you better do it." and with that, the ivory bat stood and left. It was obvious who she favored more when it came to Amy's choice, but it was more towards the fact that this would actually do both Shadow and Amy some good.

They balanced each other, in the rare chances they were together. Rouge just happened to notice it first when Shadow finally submitted to the good side and accepted being a hero. Of course Amy was ecstatic to have him on the team, but it affected Shadow much differently. The others didn't really seem too fazed. But Amy was the first to actually get to know him and that was why he preferred her company over everyone else's.

Rouge smirked to herself. She had to keep up her part of the plan to make it work.

* * *

**And there you go. Thankfully, it's longer than the last chapter. So, not too much went on in this as you can see, but trust me, the college thing was not for random. It'll come into play later. ;)**

**On other unrelated notes…**

To werewolf99: I'm not going to say this again. I'm not going to add your damn characters in my story. This is just getting annoy. 'You think it would be funnier if your fan character showed up, too', well, guess what? He's not. I do not need your - not friendly - suggestion on how to run my story. You are not the writer, I am, and if I DON'T ASK, I DON'T WANT. The ending of every chapter, 'a comment on you might've liked it' does not refer to how you want a fan character to randomly appeared to make it funnier in your opinion. Stop pestering me with it, and don't talk back to me like some whiny child wanting their way. It's not getting you anywhere. If anything, it's making me respect you less as a person. This is my last warning to you. Leave it alone and leave me alone. I DO NOT want to say this again.

**Once again, I'm sorry to those who had to read that. I'm just…a little agitated with it. Please forgive me. But, please leave a comment on how you might've like it or how it could be improved. Until next time… -D.A.K**


	6. It's a Start

_**Disclaimer: **_I do not own any STH characters as they belong to SEGA, not me. Anything else _**(brand-name, song, etc.)**_ also doesn't belong to me.

* * *

x*Even Friendships Are Complicated*x

-Chapter Six: It's a Start-

* * *

When a sudden loud sound was heard, Amy jolted awake with a yelp, looking around frantically. In her hands was a pen and her glasses fell from her face, the papers scattered from the rude awakening. Taking deep breaths to calm herself, the pink female looked around once more before spotted the source of the noise; her phone.

Sluggishly, she made her way to it, and gazed upon the lit up screen. _**1 new text message**_, it read. Drawing the pattern to unlock the phone, it revealed itself to have come from the saved contact of Shadow's number. _He actually used it…?_ she thought, curiosity getting the better of her.

_**Would you like to meet up for breakfast? -Shadow**_

Looking at her bedside clock, it read **11:45 a.m.** The time for breakfast would soon be over, but she replied 'sure' anyway and waited. Not even a minute later did the same noise to alert her of new message sound and she read his reply.

_**Meet me Waffle House in thirty minutes. -Shadow**_

Blowing her bangs from her face, she went back to her desk, where she most likely had fallen asleep and straightened it back out. A smile was soon brought to her face as she looked over the papers; they were finished! Now all she could hope on was that they reached the college in time for enrollment.

Yeah…no pressure….

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

The sweet sound and smell of food never felt so refreshing to Amy as she walked into the restaurant. It hadn't occurred to her of how hungry she actually was until food was mentioned and she was silently thanking Shadow for inviting her out. Speaking of him, he sat on the far end of room looking over a menu, obviously just arriving moments before her. The pink female went over to him and sat down which in turn caused him to look up.

"Hi." she greeted, with a smile.

"Hi." he replied, though she couldn't see if he was smiling or not with the menu covering his face. Silence soon set in between the two as she grabbed one for herself, the sound of sizzling foods and chattering of other customers was heard.

"So, uh…what made you invite me out today?" Amy asked, trying to start a conversation.

"….Reasons." he returned, although he felt compelled to tell her Rouge was basically forcing him to do so, and he assumed calling the pink hedgehog wasn't going to be enough to keep the bat away. Shadow rolled his eyes inwardly at himself. Letting the female get her way? What was he thinking…

"Oh. Well, thanks anyway, I guess." she said. The awkward silence set back in over the area they occupied, and she was almost thankful the waiter came by.

"Hello, my name is Travis and I'll be serving you today. Might I start you off with something to drink?"

* * *

Time seem to fly when those two were together, unlike how it was with Sonic - Amy noticed. Though she could have a conversation and joke around with Sonic, she found herself liking the short talks and smart remarks of Shadow, who was humorous in his own ways. When they were done with breakfast, a nice walk in the park was what they decided on next, apparently neither wanting the company to end…but it wasn't brought to attention for either to notice.

With her hands behind her back, her white skirt fluttering in the soft breeze, Amy walked alongside Shadow as they went along the dirt trail. It was much like their short time at the beach, minus the sand. Not much had been said between the two hedgehogs after entering the park, but occasionally Amy would point out a random cloud that reminded her of something. The ebony male just nodded and moved on.

"That one looks like a chicken…and that one looks like a giant lizard chasing its prey. Ooh, that one looks like a…" Staring more closely, she realized it resembled a heart. Maybe it would be best to leave that one out…

"A what?" Shadow asked.

"Uh…I-I can't really tell from here. But that one over there looks like a baby lying on its back shaking a rattle!" Amy exclaimed in one breath. Ruby red met jade green as the ebony hedgehog looked at the girl with a quizzical expression.

"You got all that from _one_ cloud?"

Looking around, she nodded, "I mean, yeah. It's all about imagination, y'know?" the pink female said with a shrug of the shoulders. She gulped as his gaze never left her being, but was relieved when it finally did.

"That's some imagination you got, Rose." he muttered. A small blush appeared on the girl's face upon hearing the nickname. She was sure she wasn't meant to hear it, but she did and it had been a while since she had. Sonic almost insisted his pet name be her real one as he rarely ever said her name in a casual conversation.

_What would I expect? They're two different people…I can't keep comparing the two of them…_ she looked around and spotted the heart shaped cloud still lingering in its spot, not seeming to want to move. She had no idea that Shadow had saw the cloud, but didn't say anything. The only question he had was why she hadn't said something about it…

~.~

Sonic was lying down on his back staring at his blank ceiling, the events of yesterday running through his head. The conversation he had with both Sally and Tails then came to mind and it suddenly started to make sense. He was acting weird around Amy because he liked her. Though when realization hit the hedgehog like a ton of bricks, he still couldn't believe it. Why? Because he's never shown any love interest in her…

Until now…

And yet still, it was hard to believe. I mean, how could he? It's all so sudden and without warning and all because the pink female stopped liking him in exchange for becoming friends. _Just_ friends. He needed help, he knew that much, but more questions arise when he thinks of the female.

Had she figured it out before he had?

Would that be the reason she avoided him more?

And…would he act upon his new interest?

Shaking away his thoughts, he picked up his phone and dialed a familiar number. After a few rings, a female's voice was soon heard on the other line.

"**Hello?"**

"H-Hey Sal. How's it going? Haven't heard from you in a while, heheh…" he said. He didn't really think Sally would be happy to hear from him after his sudden temper that day.

"**Sonic, what are you up to?" **he heard, her voice didn't have much emotion to it.

"Um…you may find this funny, but you might've been right about what you said earlier. You know, about me liking…that girl." Sonic said quietly. There was a bit of shuffling on the other end, much like last time. He wondered what she could be doing.

"**And why am I right now, but wasn't last week?" **Sally asked, there was a joking tone to her voice; she was taunting him.

"Sally, don't. This is serious, accept the victory, okay? I have a new problem." he said, hearing the desperation in his voice. There was a sigh.

"**You and your problems…alright, what is it?"**

"Well, on the account of me now accepting the fact that I like her, I want to know how to approach it."

"…**What?"**

"When do I tell her?!" he exclaimed. _Gosh, you'd expect the princess to know…_

"**Oh. Well why didn't you just say that? If it's that important, just come out with it. I'm sure your behavior has given it away anyway." **the female chipmunk said concisely.

"Gee, thanks."

"**Your welcome."** Sonic looked at the phone in his hands, hoping his glare would reach the sarcastic person on the other end, **"If that's all you need, I have to go."**

"Fine." was all he said, and the call was disconnected. Rolling his eyes, he was still confused, probably more so than to begin with. He couldn't just come out of nowhere expressing his newfound feelings (though that's how Amy did) and most certainly couldn't tell her today - or anytime soon for that matter.

He was…too shy to do it. Something Amy could do in a breeze. Something the Blue Blur couldn't.

_**But if you don't, it'll overcome you and then you'll end up just push her further away…**_

The blue male looked around his room; just where were these thoughts coming from?! But if you think about it…it was true. Amy seemed distant when they went out just yesterday and somewhat distracted. He couldn't tell if it was from his previous strange behavior, but whatever it was, he was determined to fix it.

With a sudden boost of confidence, he sprang from his bed, but immediately regretted it when he fell to the floor not realizing his was tangled within the covers…

* * *

After a little more cloud-watching, Shadow took Amy home, but not before inviting her out again later that week. The pink hedgehog had agreed right away, somehow hoping that the male was finally stepping out of his comfort zone to be around…well, other people than Rouge.

This was at least a start.

Now, sitting on her cream-colored couch, the pink female stared intently at her TV screen showcasing the movie _**Tangled**_. Next to her were about three more cases of _**Disney**_ cartoons she found. A movie marathon was what she felt she needed at the moment. Just as the men in the Ugly Duckling got ready to sing, her phone went off noisily. Groaning, and not bothering to check the Caller ID, she picked it up.

"Yes?" she answered.

"**Some way to answer a call…"** The hedgehog recognized this to be Rouge.

"Yeah, sorry. Watching movies right now."

"**Let me guess…Aladdin?"**

"No, but I'm watching that next. Is it something you need?" Amy asked, bouncing along to the upbeat music.

"**I was just wondering if Shadow called you yet…"** By the sound of it, the ivory bat was up to something. This made Amy suspicious.

"Um, yeah. Why do you ask…?" she inquired, narrowing her eyes as if the bat was in front of her.

"**Oh, no reason. I'm actually a little shocked it happened so fast!"**

"Rouge…"

"**Okay, okay! I may have meddled…a bit." **Rouge finally admitted, but didn't sound all that fazed by being caught in the act.

"I can't believe you!"

"**Whatever else happened outside of calling you was completely on his own, I swear!"** the bat quickly called out. When she said this, it made Amy think. _Had she really only told Shadow to call me?_ she wondered. He did say he wanted to go out again and even said he enjoyed their day out, but was the sneaky bat to be trusted was the real problem…

"How am I to trust you, Rouge?" Amy finally questioned.

"**Ouch, Amy. That really hurt; it did. You almost sound like Shadow-"**

"Answer the question!"

"**Alright, jeez…Do you think I'd really force someone onto you like that? I mean, after all that's Sonic's done and coming out with new 'feelings', of course I'm for him suffering, but I'd never go that far. My contribution is suggesting the plan."** As the ivory bat said, Amy had tuned her out to listen to the movie but could tell she meant this. Rouge could be sentimental, caring and loving if she wanted to be - though it was not often.

"…I believe you."

"**For God's sake, women, do you want chocolates and flowers- wait, what?"**

"I said I believe you. I trust you." Amy repeated.

"**Oh…okay. Well-"**

"But don't do it again. This is my decision and I don't need you trying to sway me in one direction or the other, got it?" Amy said sternly. Honestly, she didn't know where it came from…

"**Yes, ma'am. I hear ya loud an' clear!" **Rouge joked. The two girls shared a laugh before the call was disconnected. Amy then started to mimic the characters onscreen, already knowing their next lines.

* * *

**And the plot thickens… Just kidding, but seriously. Amy has experienced a time with Shadow and a somewhat normal Sonic and Rouge came out with her meddling. Is there anything I can do to shake this up even more?!**

**You best believe it.**

**On more unrelated notes: From now on, guest and anonymous review will be under moderation for my stories. I've been dealing with a issue with it, so it must be done. I'm not going to stress myself out with it, because I've got real life to deal with rather than some little flamer. So, sorry guests! It's been said that one person's actions can affect a whole lot; sadly it had to come to this.**

**But, please leave a comment on how you might've like it or how it could be improved. Until next time… -D.A.K**


	7. Dear Diary

Sorry, for the late update! Tiny warning though, characters may become OOC from here to a certain point if they aren't already. You can complain if you want, this is how I want to make it to make the story work to my liking. Also, this chapter doesn't really advance the story too much, but rather is the three thinking about each in some form or another. But you'll see as you go on.

_**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own any STH characters. They belong to SEGA, and not me. Anything else_** (brand-name, song, etc.)**_ also doesn't belong to me.

* * *

x*Even Friendships Are Complicated*x

-Chapter Seven: Dear Diary-

* * *

_About three weeks had passed since Amy started hanging out with both Sonic and Shadow. At that point in time, both knew the female was seeing the other, and the war had begun. Sonic was obviously the more jealous of the two, while Shadow enjoyed his irritation. She'd been on at least ten outings by either male in the last month, and she couldn't complain._

_Since she was the center of attention, she got _lots_ of it. Even Shadow, after getting use to her crazy antics. The ebony hedgehog could be just as crazy. Being around the rosy female made him a completely different person. She remembered that time two weeks ago when she found out the male had more things in common with her than realized…_

~Flashback~

Both Amy and Shadow sat quietly on a bench in the park, enjoying the wonderful weather Mother Nature had given. With September approaching quickly, the summer breezes and sun turned into rain and cool winds. Though, much like today, the sun did still shine in the sky with not a cloud to be seen. And two would bask in it.

The little pink hedgehog was within her own little world humming a tune, but it was so low, the male next to her couldn't hear. But after a while, her hums became words he could understand - though it was more of a whisper - he was quite surprised to hear.

_On the ground I lay, motionless in pain_

_I can see my life flashing before my eyes_

_Did I fall asleep? Is this all a dream?_

_Wake me…I'm living a nightmare_

When the tune stopped, Shadow realized that he was staring at her and she was staring back at him, a small blush on her face.

"Why'd you stop?" he asked quietly.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about…" she said shyly, waiting for him to look away. His eyelids lowered themselves as he didn't, half-expecting her to continue with the audience of one, but she refused to look away. Sighing inwardly, he turned and she followed suit. But then a little idea popped into his head.

**I will not die…**

Amy looked over to him in shock, though it wasn't really much of a melodic voice, he 'said' it as if he were singing. And this shocked the pink female. Her ebony companion didn't turn or did his face falter, but a small smirk appeared on his face as she echoed his last words, like the song.

_I will not die…_

Shadow looked over at Amy, who turned away, but he could see her looking at him out the corner of her eye. He figured, why stop there?

**I will survive.**

_**I will not die, I'll wait here for you**_

_**I feel alive, when you're beside me~**_

_**I WILL not die, I'll wait here for you**_

_In __my __time __of __dying~_

"You listen to Three Days Grace?" Amy questioned, smiling. He rolled his eyes, a small smile on his face, too.

"Occasionally." he simply said. The smaller hedgehog gave him a knowing look, "Okay, maybe I like their music. What about it?"

"Why not trying singing it?"

"Does it look like I can sing?" Shadow asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, if you _say it_ in key, then you can _sing it_ in key, too." the rosy girl said matter-of-factly.

"Whatever." it all that was said as he looked away, the small smile faded. Her jade green eyes never left him and he could feel them staring straight through him.

"Sing." Amy said.

"I don't want to." Shadow retorted, crossing his arms.

"Sing." she said again, leaning in closer.

"No."

"Do it!"

"I'm not gonna."

"Do it. Do it! DO IT!" she started to chant and she was about to scream it when his gloved hand clamped over her mouth, it froze in its positioned. His rubies stared intensely at her, the little jades sparkling back at him, as if their eyes were having a conversation.

"If I…sing, will you shut up?" he asked. She merely nodded and he let go as her mouth shut, to turn into a smile. They stayed like that for over two minutes before Amy grew impatient.

"Well?" she said.

"You never said _when_ I had to do it." Shadow simply said, getting up from his spot. Amy's mouth hung agape, in disbelief as he used a stupid loophole in her words to avoid what was asked. That deceitful hedgehog! Getting up, she stomped after him, fuming as she brushed past him, causing Shadow to snicker.

~End Flashback~

_Yes, that was when Shadow ultimately changed around her. He still hasn't done so, and Amy didn't necessarily hold him to it anymore, but she couldn't help but wonder what it'd sound like to hear him sing._

_Changing the subject, Sonic, who had always been outgoing around her, was nothing but a troublemaker in her presence. Just last week, they'd got in trouble with the mall security, just like at the theater. Only, this time, he was sticking up for Amy…_

~Flashback~

"What do you mean you don't have it?" Amy asked, a look of despair on her face. The human man in front of her, didn't hold a look of remorse.

"Like I said, we don't have these shoes in your size." he said.

"But I _have_ to have them!" the pink female exclaimed sadly, a pout on her face.

"Sorry, but honestly, I don't you can find you size in any of these stores. Have you tried Kids Foot Locker?"

"_Kids?!"_ the rosy girl wailed. That was meant to be an insult and she knew it! Sonic did too, and decided to say something. Though, he didn't understand what was so special about a pair of shoes…

"Uh, I'd suggest you take that back." Sonic said, standing in front of her now. Amy was a bit shocked to see him doing this, but if it got her those shoes, then she wasn't complaining!

"What did I say?" the guy asked quizzically.

"Obviously telling her to go to a kids' version of this store is a little beyond you, don't you think?" the blue male said, raising an eyebrow.

"I was merely giving her a suggestion."

"A rude one."

"Well, she's not going to anything here, I can tell you that much. Her feet are too dainty!" The female gaped at this. Looking at her feet, currently nestled in a pair of black open-toed sandals with straps holding them securely in place, she wondered if this was true.

"Excuse me, sir, but I believe your _job_ is to help your customers buy shoes - not insult them." Sonic stated, the guy at the counter was growing agitated and he knew this. He just questioned his job, for heaven's sake!

"Yes, it is. Therefore, I recommended she find her business at another place." the man said, narrowing his eyes.

"But I want these shoes!" Amy exclaimed behind Sonic.

"You heard her! She wants those!" Sonic backed up.

"I said I can't help you, now please leave." the man growled. The blue hedgehog didn't back down and growled back.

"Sir, at least try to find a pair close to my size!" Amy cried. There was a moment of silence as they all stared at one another. With a small sniffle from Amy, the human man erupted like a volcano.

"SECURITY!" the guy yelled. Their eyes shrunk back.

"Well…that didn't go as planned…" Sonic muttered. Soon enough, two bulky security officers came by.

"Is there a problem here, sir?" one spoke.

"Yes. This guy is _insulting_ me and they refuse to leave without a pair of shoes." the man explained.

"He insulted Amy first!" Sonic exclaimed, throwing his hands up.

"Is this true, ma'am?" All eyes were on her. Would she really bring attention to herself over a pair of shoes as Rouge would usually do? The answer was quite simple;

Yes. Yes, she would.

"He told me that I'd find business at a kids' shoe store and called my feet dainty!" Amy said. The human male's eyes went wide.

"B-B-But, they are!"

"Sir, you are under the store's policy to meet the need of every customer here, correct?" the second one said.

"Y-Yeah, but-"

"Then find the lady some shoes." he interrupted, authority ringing in his voice just as evident as _his_ agitation. Amy held up the box once more, and the man growled snatching it away from her.

"I'll be back." he grumbled. The security men left and Amy was beaming.

"Oh, thank you Sonic!" she gushed, wrapping her arms around him. Sonic didn't know why, but he blushed as he timidly wrapped his arms around her as well.

"N-No problem, Ames." he said, smiling nervously. The female relinquished the hug as the human man came back; turns out, they did have her size! He was just refusing to give them service because they were Mobians. The manager came out, upon hearing the ruckus, and fired the guy on the spot when he gave his explanation. And…Amy got those shoes for free! Plus, a pair of socks as an apology from the manger.

~End Flashback~

_Sonic was a true hero that day. Though it wasn't much trouble, everyone had stopped what they were doing to look at them, but Sonic didn't back down. Amy thanked him so many times on the way home, that Sonic put his hand to her mouth the rest of the way. But she didn't mind, as long as she showed she appreciated him, it would be enough. _

_But thinking back to the phone call Amy had with Rouge, the ivory bat had mentioned something about Shadow acting on his own outside of being told to call her. If that was the case, then where did she stand with Shadow? Where did she stand with Sonic? As far as things go on Rouge's plan, were feelings supposed to come into play when it was her own?_

_Of all the times she's been with Sonic, what they had somewhat resembled a brother-sister relationship. Now…it was like the hedgehog was suddenly in love with her! The idea was laughable, considering all the fantasies she's had about them being together, holding hands, cuddling together, date nights and kisses-_

Amy suddenly stopped, looking at what she just wrote. From the abrupt stop, a long, drawn out line came from the 's'. The pink hedgehog blushed. Was she really thinking about kissing him? Sure, when she was younger, but she grew past all the obsessive lovey-dovey stuff, right?

_Did I?_

The rosy female shook her head and scratched out the last word she wrote. Then, a sudden image of her and Shadow, leaning closer and closer to each other's faces flew by in her head. A gasp escaped the girl, the thought quickly diminishing. Her eyes were wide in shock…did she really think about that? Kissing _Shadow_?

Thinking about it, she let her mind create a visual…

* * *

"_**Shadow…" his name came out of her mouth breathlessly, her eyes half-lidded, her orbs sparkling in the light of the sunset.**_

"_**Rose…" he looked down at her, the female sitting in his lap. She giggled as the wind kissed her features lightly tickling her, her quills dancing in it. She was so…beautiful…**_

"_**Shadow?" the little hedgehog looked up at him, her big, innocent eyes staring at him.**_

"_**Yes?"**_

"_**Do you…do you like me?" she asked timidly. When he didn't answer right away, she lowered her gaze to the ground, but he moved a hand under her chin.**_

"_**Of course I do…" he spoke softly. She smiled her dazzling smile at him. With a sudden rush of boldness, she found herself leaning up towards his face as he did the same. They inched closer and closer and closer… and-**_

"NOOOO!"

A groan was heard and a light flickered on in the room as a sleepy, yet angry yellow fox looked at him with tired blue eyes. Sonic gave Tails an apologetic look, but the there was nothing he could really do for him.

"I would appreciate if you didn't scream for no reason in the middle of the night." Tails said, though his words were slurred from fatigue, his glare was powerful.

"Heh, sorry, buddy. I was just…having a nightmare is all. Nothing to worry about, it's gone now."

The fox let out a grumpy 'hmph', turned over and cut the light back off. Sonic sighed quietly. He always knew having another bed for him in Tails' room would do no good. The hedgehog was a wild sleeper on regular occasion but the dream…no, that _nightmare_ gave him a real scare.

Why was he thinking about it? The idea of Shadow and Amy _kissing_ was almost so disgusting, it made him want to vomit. Endlessly.

"I'm not going to let that happen though…" Sonic said to himself, in confidence.

"Shut up!" Tails growled from his bed. The blue hedgehog looked down in embarrassment and shame.

"Sorry…" he muttered and laid down, closing his eyes. Praying to God that he wouldn't have to experience _that_ again.

* * *

Shadow sat up in his bed, his ruby red eyes darting from one end of the room to the other. He scratched his head in frustration, wondering…

_**Shadow**__…_

There it was again! Now alert, he had a Chaos Spear ready for whatever was there. Nothing happened in the next five minutes he sat there staring at his door. Just where was that voice coming from?! And why did it sound so familiar…

_**She's mine, Shadow…**_

With a growl, he let loose the Chaos Spear and hit his computer desk chair with such an intensity that it toppled over and slammed into the nearby wall. Breathing heavily, his eyes adjusted to the darkness, making out the shapes of his furniture. Just what the he-

_**You can't have her…**_

Okay, this was just annoying. Looking in the direction he thought he heard the voice, he growled.

"What are you talking about? Who is 'her' and 'she'?" he asked it, though he found this crazy. Was he really talking to nothing? Yes, yes he was.

_**Amy, you idiot.**_

"Oh, I'm the idiot? You're here whispering in my ear that she's yours when you're nothing but nothing?" Shadow smirked as the voice shut up. Then a thought occurred to him; just what was that about?

…_**She's still mine, faker.**_

That nickname…_Sonic?!_

"What the hell…?"

_**She always loved me. She still does.**_

"Says you." Shadow threw back.

_**Well, she's not tearing down your door proclaiming her love, now is she?**_

"So? Who said I liked her anyway?"

_**Oh, please! You're so obvious!**_

"And so is your jealousy." Nothing was spoken for the next minute and Shadow smirked, realizing he'd won. That then faltered…was he imagining the voice this whole time? Shadow looked around his dark room again, in thought. Why would he imagine a voice, who sounded so similar to that of Sonics', and make it tell him that Amy belonged to the blue hedgehog? Which she clearly didn't, she belonged to…

He stopped his train of thought, it derailing and toppling over from the tracks as Shadow visibly shook. A strange pang of…he didn't know what hit him suddenly. Maybe he was spending too much time with the female. Her ways rubbing off on him even more so than he thought. I mean, who else would try to get him to sing in a park because they had the same taste in music?

Only Amy, of course, he knew this with no doubt.

But back to the problem at hand…a voice telling him she belonged to that hedgehog was a memory now etched into his brain. Huffing loudly, he laid down on his stomach, his face buried in his pillow. For some reason, it smelt like…water lilies…

Isn't that what Amy smelt like the last time he saw her?

* * *

Her jade orbs fell on her paper again, looking at the last sentence. Kisses was scratched out, but the rest of it was still there. Looking over her last entry, the one she had stopped, she noted that she wrote Sonics' name more than she did Shadow's. Why she was paying attention to this was beyond her… Sighing, she flipped over to a new page and began writing.

_Dear Diary…_

She thought about what she'd say on this new page. With a sigh, she let her mind command her hand into writing;

_I've been hanging around my former crush, who now has a crush on me, and another who may have a crush me, and I may have crush on too. I think this just makes things way more complicated._

…_And I hate complicated things._

* * *

**And that's done. Again, sorry for the late update, everyone! I swear life hates me, two projects back to back in two weeks! School has it out for me, guys… Help…**

**Anyways, how's this for shaking things up? I think I did a pretty good job, if I do say so myself. And I do! But, let's hear your opinions! Just from this, do you think Amy likes Sonic or Shadow more? And - for whoever you might choose - why would you say she does? And choose wisely 'cause you never know what I might do with the information… *smirks evilly***

**Please leave a comment on how might've liked the story or how it could be improved! Until next time… -D.A.K**


	8. The Light to His Dark

**Quite the feedback I got from you guys….I think I should add just one more character to continue shaking things up. Let's keep the drama rolling, shall we?**

_**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own any STH characters. They belong to SEGA. Anything else _**(brand-name, song, etc.)**_ also doesn't belong to me.

* * *

x*Even Friendships Are Complicated*x

-Chapter Eight: The Light to His Dark-

* * *

As the month of September set in and the weather of summer moved on, things became chillier in Station Square. Girls and guys didn't wear anything that showed their legs in any way, but it was still hot enough for short-sleeves. When Amy woke up, she was actually excited for the change in weather. Around this time, the girls - Rouge, Cream, and herself - went shopping at the mall a couple miles away from the nearby shopping plaza. It was always something to look forward to, since surprisingly the three girls didn't physically see each other often.

With a little bounce to her step, the rosy female made her way to her dresser and immediately went towards the very bottom drawer. In it, dark blue skinny jeans, a green off-the-shoulder top with a white tank-top. She had a outfit prepared for this day. Looking at her clock, she read **11:34.** Quickly calculating the estimated time it would take her to get ready and the time Rouge would come trying to bust down her door, she figured she had a good forty minutes. Wasting no time, she went off to shower and dress.

~.~

Now, going back to Sonic and Tails. You may recall the yellow fox being angry at Sonic for waking him up in the middle of the night. Well, ever since that night, Sonic had been staying over more and more, and most times it was rather unexpected. But, today he didn't let the mumbling hedgehog get to him. In fact, thanks to a little wonder called ear plugs, the fox got a decent amount of sleep and woke up early that morning. After he quickly dressed, having showered that night, he silently made his way downstairs after he received a text.

Excitedly Tails opened the front door and was greeted with a hug from a female rabbit. The cream-colored rabbit with warm brown eyes and light brown spots over them, smiling brightly at him.

"Hi, Tails!" she said, but not too loud.

"Hey, Cream. Glad you could make it." Tails said, hugging her once more. He blushed when the rabbit gave him a little kiss on the cheek. He led her over to the kitchen, where he then gathered pans and knives for cooking. Cream joined him by getting things from the cupboard and refrigerator.

"So, how've you been?" Cream asked as the two worked silently to prepare breakfast.

"Good, I guess. Sonics' has been a pain for a little while…" the fox responded grimly.

"How so?"

"Something about his feelings and crap. I don't know. He thinks and doesn't think he likes Amy at the same time while complaining of some feeling he has around her." Cream tilted her head in confusion.

"Does and doesn't?" she asked.

"Yeah. If you ask me, he's just too stupid to realize he likes her because he basically ignored her all the other times." Tails said. They worked together to cut up sausages and the rabbit started pancake mix, while the fox grabbed some eggs.

"Hmm…and what does Amy think about all this? Has he at least told her?"

"No. And I'm not sure. Amy's been hanging out with him _and_ I saw her and Shadow in the park the other day."

"Amy and Shadow? Together?" Cream asked a little shocked.

"Same thing I said." Tails muttered. He turned on the stove and put one pan over a burner as Cream threw in the breakfast meat.

"So, are they…dating?" the little rabbit inquired.

"I don't think so. They were just talking from what I could see. But, I guess you can never be sure with Amy."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Cream asked, putting her hands on her hips. The little fourteen-year-old girl's warm eyes gave a powerful glare. She would not stand around and listen to him talk about her - their - best friend!

"Uh…I didn't mean anything by it, Cream. I'm just saying, I don't know what Amy thinks at this point. At least not between the two of them." The rabbit gave him a once-over before transferring her pancake mix to a pancake maker.

"Okay, then. Maybe I could ask her today, I'm meeting Amy and Rouge at the mall for shopping. Rouge might even know some of the details."

"Oh, well have fun with that…" Tails mumbled, putting the eggs into another pan. Just then, shuffling was heard behind them.

"You sneaky little fox, you…when where you going to tell me about breakfast?"

The yellow fox inwardly groaned. He turned to shoo away the blue hedgehog, but was appalled to see the male in just his boxers. He covered Cream's eyes and pushed her out the kitchen. The blue hedgehog just shrugged and let out a happy gasp when he saw toasted bread pop out the nearby toaster. Taking a piece, he bit into it, before scrunching up his face.

"Needs butter…" he mumbled.

* * *

_**Knock…KNOCK….BANGBANGBANGBANG!**_

"I'm coming Rouge, sheesh!" the rosy female yelled as she grabbed her brown leather ankle boots to complete her outfit. Quickly zipping them up, she rushed to the door and opened it before the bat torn it down.

"Hiya, Amy!" the ivory bat greeted as if nothing happened. Amy groaned a little, grabbing her purse and keys.

"You know you don't have to try to bust the door down every time you come over…" she muttered lowly. The bat's sensitive ears picked it up and her response was a smile.

"It's to make sure you're awake! I mean, where would you be without me being you're best personal alarm clock?" Rouge asked rhetorically. Amy rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, okay." the pink female sassed. She could feel the bat's aqua-shaded eyes look her over as she locked her door.

"I like your outfit. Pretty cute." she remarked finally.

"Thanks."

"I'm sure Shadow would've liked it too…" the bat implied with mischief in her voice. The hedgehog couldn't help but blush.

"Rouge, don't!" Amy cried in embarrassment. Rouge laughed at her face as red as a cherry.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

"Hey, Cream!" Rouge and Amy exclaimed when they saw the rabbit. She gave them a smile as they all gave a group hug. Rouge gave her usual exaggerated greeting of air kisses to both cheeks as the girls giggled at their selves.

"HI, Amy, Rouge! It's so nice to see you both again!" Cream said.

"Really, it is. We should try to get together more often." Rouge said. Amy nodded in agreement. Cream looked down sadly.

"I wish. I'm just starting high school and already they've given us so many assignments and projects! I think I'm insane with all the nights of little to no sleep." the rabbit complained.

"By the way, that reminds me; Amy did you ever finish those college applications?"

"Yeah, but I don't know if they'll reach the actual college in time for enrollment. I don't think I should be in a hurry to go anyway." Amy said, and then the ivory bat started to smirk.

"Well, of course not! You don't want to be separated from your boy toy Shadow for too long." she said slyly with a wink. Again, the pink hedgehog blushed.

"I won't tell you again, Rouge! Stop!" she cried. Cream look at them in confusion.

"You and Shadow are really together?" the rabbit asked. Amy shook her head vigorously at this which made Rouge laugh.

"No, we are not! Where did you get this from?!"

"Tails just saw you two together, but he wasn't too sure if you were…" the cream-colored girl looked back to the bat who was smirking at the hedgehog who was glaring at her. Maybe she should've kept her mouth shut…

"Do not listen to this crazy bat! Shadow and I are just friends."

"…With benefits…" Rouge added lowly. The hedgehog had had it with her and hit the bat on her shoulder hard.

"Shut up!" Cream couldn't help but giggle this time. _Seriously, I think I'll murder her if she makes one more comment about me and him!_ Amy thought angrily.

"Let's pick this up later. We've got shopping to do!" Rouge exclaimed, throwing up her credit cards. Both rabbit and hedgehog rolled their eyes. She was always the more enthusiastic shopper among them…

* * *

"Okay, and then the guy got fired for biased service towards me and I got the shoes for free! But honestly, I think he liked me and didn't like Sonic…he kept staring at me the whole time I was looking for the shoes." Amy said, sipping on a strawberry smoothie. Cream nodded while listening and eating a slice of pizza. Rouge put down her fork - having a salad - after hearing the hedgehog's story.

"I had something similar happen to me the other day," she began, "I was at work, and it was obvious the guy was hitting on me, but not only that, but had the audacity to ask me out while we were still in the meeting! Trying to be sly. I didn't even know what to do!" Rouge said, slamming her hands on the table at the remembered frustration. Cream giggled at the exaggerating bat.

"Well, he just really liked you!" she called.

"Oh please. He just wanted another one night stand. Shadow's even had to play the fake boyfriend card because he wouldn't leave me alone." the ivory female said, stabbing her fork in her salad.

"Shadow does that?" Cream asked curiously.

"Mmhm, but it was just until the guy left. Then he went back to normal." the bat stated with an eye roll.

"Hmmm…" Amy hummed, sipping her drink. The bat raised a questioning eyebrow.

"And what are you so happy about?" she inquired the hedgehog.

"Oh, uh…it's nothing." Amy quickly said. This prompted Cream to ask what she discussed with Tails earlier.

"Hey, if you've been hanging around Shadow lately, what ever happened to you and Sonic?" The rosy girl blushed a little.

"We still see each other…"

"But, does it mean he likes you now?" Cream asked.

"I…I don't know. He hasn't told me, if he does…" Amy said, quietly. The pink hedgehog thought that that would explain his weird behavior around her earlier. But, it didn't help any that he was keeping it from her, especially after her breakthrough two nights ago. She had only seen Shadow since then.

"Well, Tails told me that he's been getting on his nerves about it."

"He has?"

"Yeah, he has?" Rouge called out rudely scoffing.

"That's what Tails said." the rabbit replied.

"Oh…well, I wouldn't really know. He hasn't been given any hints." Amy said.

"If you had to go up to him and tell him you loved him, obviously he doesn't know what a hint _is_." Rouge said, once again stabbing her salad, then angrily chewing the lettuce.

"Maybe he just didn't feel the same way." Cream suggested.

"Obviously…" the ivory bat said, "Clearly Shadow would at least slow down for you. You're like the light to his dark. The day to his night. The right to his wrong. The-" The pink female rolled her eyes at the bat. She wasn't even trying to look at both sides…

"It doesn't matter. That was in the past, and I'm over it now. If he really does like me, he'll tell me. If Shadow likes me, I'm sure he'll say otherwise as well. So leave it be, Rouge." Amy finalized, interrupting the ivory female and ending the conversation. The three girls stayed in silence for a few seconds before the ivory female spoke up.

"But has _either_ confessed yet?"

"Rouge!"

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

When Amy returned to her home, she put her bag of purchased clothes in her room and went into her kitchen to prepare dinner for herself. Taking her phone from her purse and sticking it in her back pocket, so it wouldn't get messed up but was still within reach, and looked through her pantry for something to make. Her jade green eyes settled on a box of spaghetti. Nodding, she pulled it out, along with a jar of tomato sauce, and pulled some beef from her refrigerator. As she pulled her gloves off, her phone buzzed, making her giggle slightly before taking it out.

_**Whatcha doing? -Shadow**_

Amy rolled her eyes, that was something he picked up from her. Her fingers swiftly ran over the letters as she typed her reply.

_**Making dinner -Amy**_

_**Well, that's a waste of time. Wanna go out instead? -Shadow**_

The pink hedgehog read the text over at least three times. _Is this a way of asking me out…?_

**It's not like he hasn't done it before.**

_Yeah, but…_

**Shut up and text him back!**

Amy flinched at her harsh inner voice and typed her reply to satisfy it.

_**Sure, specific time? -Amy**_

_**How 'bout now? -Shadow**_

The rosy girl started to wonder what he met before a chime went off throughout the house. Realizing this was the doorbell, she went over and opened it and the ebony hedgehog was standing there with his phone in hand.

"Why are you standing outside my door?" Amy asked with a small giggle.

"I wasn't standing out here the whole time, if that's what you're thinking." Shadow said smoothly, purposely looking around to make create an image of false guilt.

"Sure you haven't… So what's this about going out?"

"Making your own dinner is a waste of time when you can go out and have someone else make your favorite meal-and waste their time!" he exclaimed, with a smirk. The girl rolled her eyes at him.

"You're so crazy…!" she laughed.

"Learned from the best! That would be you by the way." Amy playfully punched his arm before snatching her purse from the coffee table. Leaving the forgotten spaghetti ingredients on the kitchen counter, she came out and locked her door for the second time that day. When it was shut up tight, she looked back to him.

"So where to?"

"I don't know. You pick. I don't live on this side of town, remember?"

Nodding, she looked both left and right before she suddenly, "Wendy's!" she cried happily. The male gave her a questioning eyebrow.

"You sound a little too happy about that…" he said, eyeing her.

"Oh, no! It's just that I haven't eaten there in a while," Amy then looked up and finally noticed that dark grey clouds were looming over their heads, "plus it could rain any minute now."

"I guess so. To…what's that place again?"

"…Wendy's."

"To Wendy's we go."

~.~

As the two hedgehogs made their way to _**Wendy's**_, having chose to walk there instead of using Shadow's speed, the rain had started to come down in a few droplets before gradually picking up as time went by with the two in the small establishment. It was obvious that getting home would be a difficult task…since Shadow didn't have his emerald.

Amy looked out the window as the heavy rain poured from the sky above. Her companion had long finished his food and so did she as they just tried their best to wait out the storm. But it was getting late…

"Well, we gotta go out there sometime." she spoke up, lifting the awkward silence. There were no more customers in the restaurant besides them and a couple of employees.

"Right…I can probably run to your house but we'd be soaked by the time we get there." Shadow replied.

"How? You're running-"

"We're still exposed to the rain, Rose. I don't have an umbrella and neither do you." he interrupted. She knew he was right.

"Okay. Do we leave now?" she asked looking back at him. He simply shrugged and stood up, the smaller hedgehog following. Not hesitating a moment, Shadow scooped her up in his arms, holding her bridal style, and took off a second after. But not fast enough to not catch a glimpse of the employees' surprised faces and murmurs.

"_Can you believe it?! That was Shadow THE Hedgehog!"_

"_I told you Tammy!"_

Amy couldn't help but giggle at the girls. She then shut her eyes the moment the rain whipped against her face, slicing through the air at them. It was almost as if they were running _through_ the rain. Just as expected, the two arrived at her doorstep and she fished around her purse for her keys. Without bothering to put her down, he gently took them from her and unlocked the door, balancing her on one hand and leaning her further against his body. Almost as if…as if…

_As if he was 'protecting' me from the rain…_ the pink female thought with a small blush. Once the door was open, Shadow set her down and closed it upon entering, keeping the cold outside. The lights were out, so she figured the strong winds the power out. Only then did Amy realize she was shivering.

"You should probably change clothes…" Shadow said. He was implying that she could catch a cold. Looking down, she also saw that her clothes clung to her body showing off a _little_ bit more than intended of her bodily figure.

"_**Maybe I could help you with that…" the ebony hedgehog moved closer to her and grabbed the on sleeve on her shoulder. With his hot breath in her ear, she shivered even more as she felt the cloth being pulled lower on her upper arm-**_

Another tinge of pink covered her cheeks as she looked away, trying to shake away her thoughts. Blinking to make sure what she thought wasn't real, she finally responded, "Yeah…I'll get you a towel to dry off with." And she disappeared into the hallway away from the male's view, but as soon as she did, she came back with the promised towel.

Muttering a nearly silent thanks, he dried himself off before she left again to go to her room. As soon as she got inside, she shut the door and slid along the back of it until she reached the floor. Sighing loudly, she scolded herself for what she was thinking. I mean, how could she think about Shadow taking advantage of her in a time like _this?_

**Well, Sonic sure as hell wouldn't think about doing it.**

Amy's head shot up as she looked around. Did she just think that to herself? Shaking her head, she pulled at her wet clothes. Her favorite outfit…

_**knock…knock**_

"Rose?"

"…Yes?"

"I'm gonna leave, okay?"

The rosy girl quickly shot up and opened the door, "W-Why?" she stuttered, though she couldn't figure out why.

"I need to change clothes, too." Shadow said, making the broken statement look like a 'Duh…' moment.

"I-I know that, but you're putting yourself in a bigger risk of catching a cold! I can't let you do that!" Amy exclaimed, her motherly side coming out full force. The ebony hedgehog was a little taken aback by the sudden attitude.

"I know, but I highly doubt that I will. You seem to forget I'm the 'Ultimate Life Form'." he said, with a tiny smirk. Amy rolled her eyes, but stood her ground.

"I don't care who you are. You're not going back out there until the rain subsides and that's final, you hear me?"

"Rose-"

"I said that's _**final**_ Shadow." she interrupted with a stern look. With no room for argument, the dark hedgehog slowly backed away.

"…Okay…"

With a bright smile, for both triumph and getting more time with the male, she went back in her room and found a robe of hers. She tossed it to him and closed the door again.

"Start a fire in the fireplace and lay your clothes out in front of it and put that on until they're dry." she called through the door. There was a momentary silence before she heard him say something.

"But this has…_bunnies_ on it." Shadow said.

"Just put it on!"

"Okay, okay." and his footfalls went down the hall towards the stairs. Nodding once again in triumph, she proceeded to change her own clothes.

* * *

**And a cliffhanger is where I leave it. Some are you are probably like, 'Well she supports Shadamy, of course she would do that', but no. Most of the feedback was in favor of Shadow, which explains this and possibly next chapters events. *grins evilly***

**So, just what is in store for these two next, I wonder? Until then… -D.A.K**

**(P.S. Is anyone else noticing the longer chapters or is it just me? It might just be me…)**


	9. Amazingly Boring

_**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own any STH characters used in this story. They belong to SEGA! Anything else _**(Brand-name, song, etc.)**_ also doesn't belong to me.

* * *

x*Even Friendships Are Complicated*x

-Chapter Nine: Amazingly Boring-

* * *

"This is so embarrassing…" Shadow muttered, shifting in his position on the floor, currently resting in front of the fireplace. Wrapped up in a blanket, he grudgingly put the robe that belong to Amy on and immediately regret not sneaking out to go home. The 'Ultimate Life-form' was not meant to be seen or caught _dead_ wearing a robe with pretty pink bunnies.

It was not his style.

"Oh, cheer up, Shadow! You should be happy to wear something considering how cold it's getting in here." Amy chirped with a smile. The ebony hedgehog just sighed and put his chin in the palm of his hand.

"Easy for you to say, since you have clothes to change into." Which was true since it was her home; the girl had on a pair of long fuzzy pajama bottoms, some socks, and a long sleeve shirt with a blanket around her shoulders, but a bigger one was laid over the two as they sat side-by-side.

The smaller hedgehog rolled her eyes, "Would it make you feel better if I grabbed my other robe? We could be…twinsies…"

"_Oh, please, no."_ he groaned. The pink female giggled. Pulling at the sheets, she shifted closer to the male seeking warmth. It had been nearly an hour ago when they first got in and the power was still out, leaving them with the ever increasing darkness and a crackling fire in front of them.

"Okay, okay! I was just kidding." she laughed. She saw him roll his eyes at her, but paid no heed to it. Biting her lip, she made a bold move and laid her head on the male's shoulder. His body tensed up a bit, but gradually relaxed and he didn't say a word. Soon, he moved again to where he was lying on the floor and didn't hesitate to bring her with him.

_I feel wrong to say I can get used to this…_ Amy thought, blinking suddenly feeling sleepy. Maybe some conversation would keep her from going to sleep.

"So, um…seen any good movies lately?" she started. Though she wasn't looking, she could practically feel him roll his eyes again.

"No. You?"

"Well, the other day I had a Disney movie marathon. Nothing particularly new…"

"I know you're sleepy. Why fight it?"

"Because sleeping is boring!" Amy whined, pouting. Then she got a thought, "I take that back. It's amazingly boring."

Shadow raised a questioning eyebrow, _"Amazingly boring?"_

"Yep. It feels good to sleep, but then its boring when you have all these other things to do around you!" the pink female explained. The ebony hedgehog had a blank expression on his face when she looked up at him after so long of silence. She only saw him shake his head, before turning his attention back to the fire.

Seemingly this ended the conversation Amy tried to start. A quiet sigh fell from her lips, already feeling fatigue take a hold of her. This time it was a lot more aggressive, her yawns growing longer. Yet, she wasn't ready to give in. So, with a devious intention, she reached up and touched Shadow's nose. His ruby orbs flickered their gaze to her, almost asking the inaudible question of 'why?'.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing."

He looked at her hand, it reached back up, past his nose to his ears. Laying them flat against his head, he pulled her hand away. But the girl was relentless. Taking her other hand (as if she thought he wouldn't see that coming), she tried again, only to have it blocked as well.

"Stop."

"But I'm bored."

"That's not my problem."

"It is when you're the only person here to entertain me." Shadow then glared at her, while she smiled, obviously tired. They stayed that way for a minute, both staring at the other, hand in hand. Finally, the female sighed, seeing as she wasn't getting anywhere with him, so she retracted her hands and laid back down.

"Are you done now?"

"Maybe…"

"You're done. Go to sleep." It wasn't a question, it was a command. Though his tone was soft, he was serious. If Amy wanted to 'baby' him, he would baby her.

"But I don't wanna…" she whined again, with her pout.

"Sleep." he repeated. With another sigh, her eyelids heavy, she decided to give in.

_Only 'cause _I_ want to…Not because he told me…._

~.~

When her rosy-pink eyelids lifted to reveal her jade green orbs to the world, Amy found herself be in a completely different area than before. The small blanket was replaced with the soft purple sheets of her bedspread, realizing it was her bedroom. Sitting up a little, she winced feeling a slight headache from the effort, but she looked around and found no one. She was about to call out, but she noticed her robe with the bunnies was placed on the doorknob of her bathroom door, meaning…Shadow was gone.

Getting up from her place on the bed - though feeling a bit dizzy - she saw that it was only nine. Not as late as the girl was expecting it to be, but she got up anyway to at least see if the male cleaned up behind himself.

Slowly and sluggishly, she went downstairs and was confused when she saw the fire was still going. The storm had actually gotten stronger in the time of her being out and the power was still off, but…why leave the fire going…? She spotted a lump of black under a white sheet.

_So, he's still here?_

"Shadow?" His ear perked up at the sound of his name and looked up at the rosy female.

"What are you doing up?" he asked, standing suddenly. He was over her so fast, it actually made her dizzier than before.

"Wh-What are you talking about?" she asked.

"You need to rest." Without another protest, the male scooped her up in his arms and carried back to where she had come from, much to her dismay.

"Why are you bringing me back? I'm not that sleepy. Just a little dizzy." she explained.

"You have a fever and no doubt a cold. But that shouldn't show up if you rest for the time being…at least it won't be so aggressive when it does." Shadow countered. To confirm this to herself, she felt her forehead and saw it was no warmer than herself.

"I don't feel anything."

"Of course you wouldn't. You're whole body temperature's changed. I took the measurement while you slept." Apparently, in other words he wasn't taking no for an answer and her counters were useless in their point. He placed her in the bed and covered her up again and was about to leave when Amy called him back.

"Can you at least stay this time?" she asked quietly. Honestly, she wasn't sure if she could trust herself around him with her mixed feelings. And it would probably be worse with her state, but she was taking her chances.

The ebony hedgehog closed his eyes and contemplated on what to do, before he sighed and sat on the bed next to her. It took all her energy to focus on him since the room was now dark, and it gave her a headache. Nothing was said as she sat up as well, but even that was proving to be a bit of a challenge.

"Lie down." Shadow softly commanded. She didn't move so, he forced her down gently. And her feeling of fatigue came back, so she sat up again.

"I'm trying not to go to sleep here." Amy exclaimed. She wanted to come off cheery, but her headache and increasing dizziness was getting to her.

"You're just naturally stubborn, aren't you?" The girl managed a nod and a small smile.

"I learned from the best. That would be you by the way." she said mocking his earlier statement. This caused a small smirk to form on the darker hedgehog's muzzle, but could not be seen clearly.

"I guess you can accuse that of me, but that doesn't mean you have to be so good at it." he said. Amy wanted to roll her eyes, but didn't in fear of probably fainting or something. A silence fell back into place, and Amy suddenly realized that fire was still going.

"Go put the fire out before you burn down my house." she paused for a minute, "Please."

"I'm not staying long. You need to sleep, and I can't leave because the storm's too strong. Considering it's only September…" he muttered the last part mostly to himself.

"Yes, you are. I refused to be in here alone, so put it and come back, or so help me-"

"Alright, alright." he stood and left. The pink female stared at that door until the male came back a few minutes later. She figured he only gave in to make her rest easier, but she wasn't to be played. He came back and sat down again, only Amy pulled him closer and _then_ decided to lie down. She didn't even hesitate to snuggle into his chest, finally noticing that he was back in his own clothes.

"Why do I feel dizzy?" she softly asked. Shadow's somewhat hardened features softened to her little, tired voice. Maybe he had won after all.

"I told you, you have a fever." he explained again. Just to check, his ungloved hand went to her forehead and confirmed this again. She was still hot to the touch.

"Why do I have a headache?"

"Same thing, Rose." he didn't further elaborate this, knowing she was just trying to keep up by talking rather than going back to sleep. The girl was a chatterbox after all.

"Do I have a cold?" Amy asked, her questions seemingly not going to stop.

"Probably." He looked down at her, just as she looked up at him. Shadow didn't know what had happened next. He didn't know if it was her giant, innocent jade eyes, or her childishly cute and adorable pout, but he leaned down and kissed her. Really, he kissed her. Amy had no idea what to think about the thought.

_Maybe my diary is like a prophecy somehow…_ she thought.

It was small, and light, but Amy didn't seem to mind it nor when he pulled away just as quickly as it had come. She barely had time to react anyway. The male just stared at her as she averted her gaze elsewhere, a red tinge in her cheeks now, adding to the innocence of her beauty.

Shadow had enough problems as it were. He wasn't expecting things to go this far - or get anywhere beyond the friendship boundary, but…would it be wrong to say he didn't regret it?

Is this where he really wants to go with her?

Was it just heat of the moment?

Did she feel any different towards him because of it?

When he finally came out of his mind, he saw that the smaller hedgehog had submitted to her fatigue and closed her eyes. He noticed the darker shade of her eyelids. Maybe she did have a cold.

That would be boring. The thought of being alone during any illness was boring.

He then formed a small smile. _Taking_ _care_ _of_ _her_ would be amazingly boring. And that was just what he was going to do.

After all, she wanted to prevent him from getting said cold, yet ended up getting it herself. It was the least he owed her…right? His crimson orbs looked at her again, her soft snoring almost like music to his ears.

Yeah, he owed her that much.

* * *

Sonic looked worried as he stared at the raging storm outside. The only barrier between him and it a small glass window. He was actually a little fortunate to end up at Tails' house just before it got strong and the good thing about the whole ordeal was that the fox had a back-up power generator.

And heat.

Tails himself said this kind of weather was strange for this time of year, but he thought it was just from a hurricane passing through somewhere else. Then he went all science and weather nerd on the blur and he tuned him out when he explained the position of New York and blah, blah, blah.

The blue hedgehog was actually more worried about a particular female hedgehog he knew that _didn't_ have a back-up power generator. He hoped she wasn't caught in the storm or freezing in her home. Then he thought of all the brightly colored blankets Amy owned.

It was a little reassuring.

"I'm sure she's fine, you worrywart." Tails said. The blue blur huffed.

"Leave me alone Tails. I don't need a lecture about feelings." he said, still gazing out the window. The yellow fox rolled his eyes.

"You said you at least admitted it to yourself, so the only thing in your way is telling Amy how you feel." he said.

"Yeah, I know that." the blur replied cynically.

"Why not try giving her a call? Just to check up on her. You haven't seen her in a while."

When Sonic didn't answer, he sighed and retreated to his room for some sleep. Sighing himself, Sonic picked up his phone and dialed the girl's number. It rung a couple more times that he was used to before it went to voicemail.

_That's strange…she usually answers by the third or fourth ring…_

Redialing, he tried again, but no dice. Setting down his phone, he thought about any other way to know how the female was fairing. With a shudder of disgust, he dialed a number.

"**What, faker?"** Yep, good ol' Shadow. His rival, now in more ways than one.

"Hi to you, too, Shad. How ya doin' buddy?" he greeted. It almost hurt to be nice to the jerk that was stealing his potential girlfriend.

"…**What do you want?"** Shadow asked, obviously not in the mood to talk to him. Sonic shrugged it off.

"I just wanted to know if you heard anything from Amy lately. I haven't been able to check up on her myself." he asked as politely as he could.

"**What makes you suddenly so concerned for her?"**

"I care about all my friends, Shadow. Even the ones that try to beat me every chance they get." He didn't try to hide the referral to the darker hedgehog.

"**Ha ha. I forgot to laugh. But if you must know… she has a cold." **Shadow said, he heard the obvious reluctance to tell also heard something moving in the background and wondered what it was.

"From the storm?" Sonic asked. Whether the black hedgehog wanted to or not, he had a lot more answers than him, and he was determined to get them.

"**I do not wish to talk to you any further than necessary, hedgehog. If you're so concerned, come by yourself."** Shadow said and the call ended with a click. The dial tone played a few seconds after until Sonic hung up too. Of course the obstacle in the way of getting those answers was the other male hedgehog's stubbornness. But what he found himself mostly concerned for was what he heard in the background before Shadow hung up.

A voice….

A _feminine_ voice.

A voice he could clearly recognize before he told it to 'hush' before the call disconnected.

Of course, the blue blur was assuming the lowest thing he could imagine. He was a little pissed Shadow had the nerve to do such a thing - if he did. Whether it was true or not, the fact that it was a possibility horrified him to no end.

_No, calm down Sonic…maybe he went to check on her, too. Maybe he just saw her go to sleep of natural causes such as said cold and he didn't want to wake her… Yeah, that's it. It better be it._

Taking a few deep breaths, he was now scarred of the images of Shadow doing such a horrendous act to Amy…and somehow she _enjoyed it._ With a groan louder than necessary, he went to Tails' open laptop. He opened a web browser and went to _**Google.**_ In the search box, he quickly typed in;

_**How to best impress a girl?**_

He wasn't going to get lectured by Tails or Sally. The Internet was his only friend for the moment and he was going to study what he could. Because once Sonic sees the pink hedgehog…

She _will_ be his.

_Who does he think he is anyway? He best know he can't have her, 'cause her heart belongs to me and only me. And I need to make sure it stays that way when she gets better._

* * *

**Not so much what I wanted, but it's at least something. I know I'm late, and I'm terribly sorry for the delay but I've had so much work to do this past week that I barely had any time to write until Thursday. And that's because I decided to put off my work to do it. But, please forgive me.**

**Anyway, you got a little taste of the Shadamy portion of the story, now we need the big equalizer and the big vote of who wins Amy - or doesn't. So, I'd say this might have a ways to go. All I can ask is that you be a little patient with me, please.**

**But, please leave a comment on how you might've liked it or how it could be improved. Until next time… -D.A.K**


	10. (Anything But) Nice and Simple

_**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own any StH characters, as they belong to SEGA. Anything else _**(brand-name, song, etc.)**_ isn't owned by me either.

* * *

x*Even Friendships Are Complicated*x

-Chapter Ten: (Anything But) Nice and Simple-

* * *

In the span of just four days, Amy got over her cold - with the help of a certain ebony friend of course. It was true, staying at home under Shadow's especially strict rule was boring, but the fact that he took it upon himself to take care of her was amazing. And the kiss they shared wasn't forgotten. Both just decided to put it aside for her wellbeing and the ebony male settled for simple kisses planted on her cheek. (And boy, did it make her heart soar…!)

Amy, on the other hand, was so happy that the male felt some kind of way towards her. Even he couldn't deny that for a particularly small seventeen-year-old, she was attractive. But, the rosy female had conflicted feelings on who she'd have more affection for. Sure, it was Shadow now, but it wouldn't be long before she ran into Sonic again.

And that's when things got all the more complicated…

She held them both at the perspective of being their friend, but she and Shadow were going a little beyond that for the moment, while Sonic was being left in the dust. If Sonic were to ever find out, there was going to be a fight, no doubt. Rouge's plan was in one way or another somewhat flawless.

The plan had been made simple; make Sonic jealous. But she needed a safe back-up plan loophole. Something that wouldn't backfire on her in the end.

And it didn't help Shadow may have already figured her out before then…

~.~

After those significant four days, another week or so passed as October rolled in and it become increasingly colder. But it didn't deter the blue hedgehog from his plans of winning the female's attention. In fact, he was planning to put things into action that night.

"Where are you planning to take her?" Cream had asked that morning.

"Well, I don't think a restaurant would do, considering I've already screwed that idea up for future possibilities, but I think something simple could go a long way here." he replied.

"Simple as in…?"

"I'm not going to tell you, Cream. All you'll do is go back and tell Amy and I want her to be surprised!" Sonic grinned when the rabbit had pouted. And that was all she knew. The rabbit didn't bother to tell Amy (like she ever was in the first place…) and left it up to Sonic to try and make something of his feelings for Amy. But the girl couldn't help but have a biased opinion on who she wanted to come out on top.

Sonic has broken Amy's more times than they can be counted (She should know, she's been around a emotionally distressed Amy many times). Cream was glad they finally settled through things and became friends, but she was starting to see where Rouge was coming from.

Did he deserve her after all he's done to her?

Could he somehow still win her heart when she failed to win his?

All those questions raced around her head as she watched the blue hedgehog leave Tails' house to go to action. Cream knew she couldn't predict the future, but she still had a bad feeling about him suddenly confessing his 'love'.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

When Amy heard her doorbell ring, she was more expecting to see Shadow at the door. She had got all dolled up in case he decided to drop by, which was funny seeing as she'd done the same thing when she was hopelessly in love with Sonic. But, to actually see Sonic show up as she had done so…was just strange.

"Hey, Ames! You look nice." the blue hedgehog greeted with a grin. The female, however, was a little speechless. Being around Shadow, she forgot about his 'seemingly strange' behavior. Looking over her outfit, a simple pair of dark blue jeans and a clean white long sleeve shirt. Yep, nice.

"Um, thanks. You do too?" When he chuckled, she then figured that he'd finally lost his mind. She didn't realize she had made a joke.

"Funny you should say that. I'm actually here wondering if you'd like to go out. Just for the night." Sonic said. Amy was a little taken aback by that question. Since their compromise, he said 'hang out', not 'go out'. Knowing this, she immediately regretted her next words.

"L-Like a date?" she stuttered. Clamping a hand over her mouth with wide eyes and a blush, she mentally kicked herself. _Why did you say that you idiot?! Didn't we just go over the deal? DIDN'T WE?!_

"If you want to call it that, sure. Would you like to go on a date with me?"

Records scratched and everything slowed down. Did he just ask her out? Like, ask her out for real?! The Sonic she knew wouldn't come straight out with what he had initially meant, he was that mysterious sometimes. The pink hedgehog was clearly in a frozen stupor, but when she finally came back to reality, she really should've thought about her next choice of words.

"S-Sure…" she replied with a small blush.

Mental face-palm.

The grin never left Sonics' face, "Great. Let's get going!" She had a minute to react before her door was shut and she was scooped up into his arms, just like Shadow. Though the ebony male held her more securely, she knew he wasn't one to take things slow. Wasting not another moment, the blue hedgehog took at a speed that was his namesake.

To think she'd be used to this by now…

~.~

Within the next minute or two, Sonic came to a stop in the park. After walking a ways inside, the blue and pink hedgehogs arrived at a lake. When Amy saw the blue male sit, she also took a seat the lake's edge.

"Why here?" Amy asked. It was the first time she had spoken since being there.

"Ah, you know. I didn't want to overdo it. I thought something simple would've been nice." Sonic replied, picking up a rock. He flicked his wrist as the stone skipped across the water before sinking just before the other end.

"You brought me here to skip rocks?" the girl asked, clearly not hiding the somehow irritated tone she had.

"Not particularly…I wanted to talk," he said, skipping another. He then turned towards her, "I want to talk about…us." he stated, looking her directly in the eyes.

The smaller hedgehog was confused and shocked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean…well, do you ever think about what we'd be like if we _were_ a couple?" The small female felt like the world was about to end. Was Sonic the Hedgehog actually sitting here asking if she _thought_ about them being together? Where had he been _five years ago?_

"If you mean _**before**_ the whole date fiasco months back, then sure. I thought about it all the time." she replied. Which had some truth behind it, because she had.

"No, I mean now. Do you think about us _now_?" Sonic asked, and the look in his eyes meant that he was being serious about this.

Amy thought about her answer a bit carefully before saying something, "No, I don't. I just figured since we're going to be friends, I didn't need to fantasize about what could of, would have been," she then finally turned to look at him, "What brought all this on?" she asked, finally voicing her curiosity.

He hesitated. This was supposed to be the moment where he confessed his hidden feelings to her.

She was right there…

All he had to do was utter those three simple words…

But he was scared to know her reaction…

"I don't know honestly." he replied. _Technically that was four._

"So, you just randomly want to know what I think about you now?" Amy asked suspiciously. Something had to be up; the weird behavior, taking her out places, simply tolerating being near her, and now this?

"Well, maybe…I don't know…" Sonic stuttered. All he learned from _**Google**_ just flew from his mind. Maybe in this case, Sally would've been the better consultant.

"Sonic, what's really going on? You've been acting weird since that date. Are you sure nothing's going on?" the girl asked. Sonic now knew he had a choice. Tell her or chicken and try again later…

"Amy…I-I like you." There he said it. He saw the girl gasp and Sonic looked away when she did. That didn't sound too happy. _Alright, brace for impact of lethal hammer….NOW!_

After a few seconds, he realized nothing came.

When he built up the nerve to look back at her, the rosy female had tears threatening to fall, and her mouth was agape. His emerald orbs searched her jade ones, finding sadness and even anger…and he knew he was the cause of it.

"Amy…"

"Why now…?" Amy suddenly asked.

"What?"

"_Why now?"_ she asked more sternly. One tear managed to slip away, but she quickly caught it, "Why after all this time I've been confessing my love to you, you wait until we're friends to do this to me?"

"I-I don't know. It just…happened."

"This didn't just fucking happen, Sonic! You think after all those years of standing me up and treating me like I wasn't worth your time, I'm just going to accept your feelings as if you did what I wasted five years of my life doing?!" Amy now shouted at him, standing. Sonic stood also, somewhat hurt by her words.

"I _never_ treated you like that, Amy! All those times I didn't show up to your dates because a mad scientist was trying to take over the city! Did you just expect me to stop saving the world to give you an hour of my time?" he exclaimed.

"It wouldn't hurt every once in a while." the female argued, with a scowl.

"Everything isn't about you Amy!" Sonic shouted. Sure, she had a compelling point, it didn't stop her from sounding the least bit selfish. And the Amy Rose he knew was a _selfless_ person; the very opposite of this Amy Rose.

"Well, everything isn't always about you either, Sonic! You go around like everything and anything is just going to go your way! You don't think I don't know why this just happened? It's because you're jealous of Shadow and me!" Amy yelled, tears streaming down her face. Sonic looked at her with a facial expression struck between a scowl and shock.

"I never said I was jealous." Sonic quickly countered.

"You don't have to. I know from experience what jealousy is and looks like. I was jealous of all the girls that threw themselves at you and you went along with it. You're jealous because all my attention isn't on you-"

"To hell with that, Amy! I'm not jealous of anything that bastard doesn't have! All he does is lie, cheat, and steal; he's not good enough for your company!" the blue male interrupted. The next thing he knew, the pink female's hand ran across his face in a fierce slap as she glared at him through her tears.

"Don't you **EVER** say that about Shadow again! He's a lot better than you ever were to me!"

Forgetting the stinging sensation in his cheek, Sonic did something - from Amy's perspective - out of character. Grabbing her by her shoulders, he firmly pressed his lips to hers and held them there as he tried to kiss her. Amy struggled against his grip by hitting him and punching him and pushing him, but his grip held strong. Caught so off-guard by his actions, she really couldn't give up much of a fight. The kiss itself was angry and lustful.

When she stop long enough to his liking, he deepened the kiss; one hand tangled in her pink curls of hair and the other holding her by the waist. At this point, Amy couldn't stop it, and her brain was having processing the whole thing.

So…she gave up.

The old side of her - the hopeless Sonic romantic - took control as she kissed him back just as deep, nearly competing with him to get the upper hand. Her hands went into his quills, the kiss becoming heated. Sonic was surprised that she just gave in, but he didn't argue or fuss about it and went on with what he was now occupied with; her lips. The rosy girl chanced to open her eyes a bit while it all happened.

_What am I doing…? What about Shadow…? _she asked herself, in the heated daze she was experiencing. Her gaze went over to the miles of forest that linked directly into the park and saw something in between two trees.

…_What is that black dot over there behind the tree?_

Though her mind was still preoccupied, as were her lips, her eyes went wide catching a glimpse of red in that black dot. Something in that instance clicked in her head.

_SHADOW! _her mind screamed.

Amy tore away from Sonic just as the black dot disappeared. Without a second thought, she dashed off after it at full speed; or at least as fast as she could manage to go. The blue male was left standing there dumbfounded.

"Amy!" Sonic called after her. Once he had his senses back, he began chasing her as she chased the black dot she presumed was the ebony hedgehog. Since the blue blur was a lot faster, it wasn't long before Sonic caught up.

"Amy, wait! Stop!"

"NO! Move!" she cried, her tears had returned. She had been afraid of this. Get close to one, hurt the other. Since Sonic had not known about her sharing the one kiss with Shadow, it had been alright for the time being. She couldn't bare the thought of causing either of them such heartbreak, but Shadow even more so with his tragic past…

_And because of this, because of what he had seen, he may never trust me again…_

"Amy, Amy! Why did you run away?!" Sonic tried again, blocking her path as she tried to maneuver around him.

"Sonic, just get out the way!" Amy shouted.

She brushed past him finally, but Sonic managed to catch her wrist a little harder than intended, which made her lose her footing and fall. A black blur came by and made sure she didn't hit the ground and when she was safely positioned in front a tree, she only saw Shadow looming over Sonic, who was on the ground holding his bruised cheek, with his fists clenched at his sides.

"What the hell, Shadow?!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Don't play that innocent shit with me! How could you?!" Shadow screamed at him. He just as enraged as he was heartbroken. Of course, it had been a complete coincidence that he was taking a walk through the forest thinking about a certain pink hedgehog when he happens to see a glimpse of pink and hoped it was her.

It was her…but he didn't expect to see her locking-lips with Sonic. A lot more than he ever shared with the girl, but shocking nonetheless. When she had spotted him, he knew he had to get out of there. But when he saw how he had grabbed her, he couldn't live with just have letting her fall when he could've done something to prevent it.

So he came back to give Sonic a piece of his mind.

"You don't own her! What makes you think you have more rights over her than I do?" Sonic yelled back. Standing on his own two feet, the males stared each other down as Amy tried to get a grip on what was happening while standing.

"What gives me more right?" he started, giving a crude laugh before he returned the glare, "It more along the line of who deserve her, and after all you've done to her, you think you _deserve_ her more?" Shadow challenged.

"Damn right I do! I've known her longer!"

"And out of that time, when have you actually taken time from your so-called 'busy' schedule to be with her?" Sonic was caught off guard with this question. It was the same thing Amy had said. Only, he made it seem it was about her.

"I…Well…"

"Don't even try to answer that, you…" he sighed. His scowl grew deeper, "You know what, why do I even try to talk some sense into you? Maybe you're better off with her, at least someone can work your shitty attitude." and with that, Shadow began walking away. As Sonic, stared at his retreating form, Amy stood there, watching. Her tears were steadily streaming down her face.

_What have I done?_

"Yeah, well who needs _you_! Your attitude is just as bad, you bastard! _**Enjoy being a sadistic loner for the rest of your life!"**_ The blue male shouted. Birds flew overhead at the disturbance and noise levels, squawking as they flew away. When the blur finally turned around to face Amy, he found that she was gone.

"God damn it!" he cursed.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Amy didn't know how long it took, but by the time she had reached her home, she was out of breath and her sobs and tears did nothing to help. She couldn't believe she let it go this far. The rosy female didn't even bother to go inside, but collapsed on the doorstep and cried. Just cried for all it was worth.

And just what was the worth?

She had lost two good friends and she didn't have the heart to fix the damage she had caused. How could she? They'll just start fighting over her again.

"For once, something went right in my life! Why can't it stay that way?!" she yelled to no one. Pulling at her quills nonstop, she sobbed and cried and sobbed some more.

"Why? _WHY?!_ Why me, why not someone else? I just want something to go right! Why can't it?!" she screamed. The ground welcomed her once more as she took on a fetal position and continued to cry, not caring about anything anymore.

Why should she? She was destined to be alone. No one would come for her anyways…

~.~

When Shadow stalked inside the GUN headquarters building and brushed past Rouge without so much as a hello, she immediately knew something was up. Though he wasn't the most social person around, a simple nod of acknowledgement would do the hedgehog justice.

But to just storm right past?

Rouge thought about what she should do. She had to work, but she had a feeling - a very strong feeling - that he wasn't the only one that needed some kind of assistance. Call it best friend's intuition. Looking around, she made sure nobody was around to see her, before rushing to the door and taking flight to her destination.

* * *

The ivory bat landed and what she found was not what she wanted to see. A pink hedgehog curled up on the steps of her own home, still shaking with quiet sobs. Tsking softly, she picked up the heap of female and helped her to the door. She didn't know how long she had been there, but the whole left side of body was filthy with dirt, her face stained with the color of gravel from the gravel doorstep.

With the bat's help, they finally made it inside and shut the door and Rouge led the broken female to her bedroom. As soon as she did, Amy dropped to the floor.

"Amy, please get up…"

"Why? So the floor can hate me for stepping on it?!" she cried. There were no tears left for the rosy girl to cry. Just empty sobs.

"Amy, this is not you. You need to get up sweetie." Rouge picked her up again, but the hedgehog was being a bit difficult in her emotional funk. Using all her might, she got the girl on her bed at least.

"The world hates me…Why can't I just go back to Mobius and be the only Mobian on the planet and live the rest of my life alone away from people?" Amy said.

"Well, if you did that, you wouldn't see your friends-"

"WHAT FRIENDS?!" Amy shouted, "You mean Shadow and Sonic?! They aren't my friends anymore…why are friendships complicated with guys? Why can't you like one, and not the other without worrying they'll fight?" she asked.

"Just give them some time to cool down. You know they're both total hotheads. Shadow is just as…well, whatever you are. What did you do exactly?" Rouge asked politely. She figured to help the female it would be best to take it slow.

"I kissed Shadow."

Rouge's face lit up, "Oh, well, then Sonic is just-"

"I kissed Sonic, too." she stated sadly. The ivory bat's face fell a little.

"Oh. Now I see the problem. Sonic saw you?"

"Shadow saw us. Just a few hours ago…I think it was a few hours. Sonic said he liked me, I yelled at him, he yelled at me, and then he forcefully kissed me…and I fell for it."

At this, the bat didn't know what to say. And she knew that somehow this was her fault. If she hadn't suggested that plan she made up, her best friend wouldn't have - wouldn't be in this situation now. Casting her gaze to the floor, she thought of something to say.

"I know you're blaming yourself. But honestly, maybe I just shouldn't have listened to you and messed up when I did. I should've just left it alone…" Amy said. She took off her ruined shirt, leaving her in just a white camisole and laid back down in her bed. Pulling her purple sheets over her head, she said one last thing;

"Just give me some space, Rouge. I need to be alone right now."

Without an argument, the bat left and snuck back into the office. But when she got there, she realized she shared the same side of the cubicle with Shadow, being partners and all. Quietly easing into her chair, she pretended to get started on work and the ebony hedgehog behind her never said a thing.

_Maybe I did go a little far…Shadow's quiet, but never _this_ quiet. Something else is up with him. And I have to fix this. My end of the plan._

* * *

**Surprised to see an early update? I know I am! I couldn't believe it when I finished the last of this. As you can see this was the big equalizer, not so much Sonamy, but bare with me, I really did try to make a scene that fit into what I originally wanted. So, Amy's in a funk, Rouge is trying to fix Shadow, but where is Sonic?**

**Only next chapter will tell and how things get resolved. Hoping you guys will stick around for it.**

**Also, VOTING! Yep, it's finally here. Those of you who already voted, I'll count it towards the final score, so you don't have to revote or anything. The vote will go on for about four or five days, and anything after cannot be counted, I'm sorry. There are no polls going up either. I've started on the next chapter, but it'll probably change after the votes are in. And yes, I know, I'm making Sonic the bad guy here, but trust me, there's a twist…**

**So, please leave a comment on how you might've like it (or in this case, a vote too) or how it could be improved. Until next time… -D.A.K**


	11. Epiphany

**Votes are in, and the winner is revealed towards the end of the chapter. Thanks to those of you who voted (you know who you are) and even with some of those, one outcome won by at least three points. But you'll see…**

_**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own any STH characters. They belong to SEGA. Anything else _**(brand-name, song, etc.)**_ also doesn't belong to me.

* * *

x*Even Friendships Are Complicated*x

-Chapter Eleven: Epiphany-

* * *

_I'm such a monster…_

Amy stared at herself in her bathroom mirror. She sighed at her reflection, hating herself. Bags now hung from her eyes from lack of sleep due to relentless tossing and turning for the past three days. Her face looked a little decent otherwise as did her quills, but she hadn't felt much need to tend to them, seeing as she wasn't impressing anybody…anymore.

Her jade green irises looked her reflection in the eyes, both frowning at the other.

_You're a monster…You deserve to be single for the rest of your life,_ she scolded herself.

"All I wanted was someone to love me…" she whispered back.

_You've always wanted someone to love you. But what do you do? You go and chase them away. The karma and irony is almost a crime…_

She scowled at the reflection, "This is what this is? Karma? What have I done but want to love to deserve such bad luck with it?"

_Maybe you were trying too hard to find it. Should've just let things run their course…_

"What good is that now? They hate me. All I did was play them off each other, and they know this. They _should_ know this."

_Thin line between love and hate, honey._

"Well, I crossed it two months ago then." Amy sighed, rubbing her face, exasperated. Bickering with herself wasn't going to do anything. Securing the towel that was wrapped around her body, she made her way into her bedroom. She went to her drawers and found a new pair of pajamas. She wasn't going anywhere anytime soon…

"And to think, I thought owning too many was a bad thing." she said to herself. Quickly putting them on, she went downstairs and turned on her TV. Once that was going, she headed to her pantry, found a box of cereal, got a spoon, a bowl, some milk and went back to her living room. She set everything on her coffee table and she found herself looking at one of the little porcelain figures she had bought.

The boy and the girl stared into each other's eyes, holding hands and the boy's head was tilted just a bit to one side, and the girl's went the other way. They looked totally in love each other.

_Now, why can't that be me?_

"_**Today, we have breaking news about a crisis happening over in Minnesota, where it would seem that scraps of robot metal have been found strewn about the state. People have come to the conclusion that this may be the leftovers from multiple battles fought between Doctor Ivo 'Eggman' Robotnik and world-hero Sonic the-"**_

"Next!" Amy called out, quickly changing the channel.

"_**Tonight on Hollywood Exclusive, we have located the seemingly missing superstar Brianna Worthington. After being thought to have been kidnapped, we find the rock princess inside her home…and she's pregnant!"**_

"Drama…next!"

"_**For one hundred dollars with each, name all the members of the Sonic Team. [The camera switches over to a middle-aged human man with sweat on his brow] "I zon't know who zey are! I zon't know zat American TV show!"**_

"A game show about us? Really, producers?! This is what you do with your life?!" she shouted to no one in particular and shut the TV off as her phone rung. Groaning softly, she looked at the Caller ID and found it to be Rouge.

"Hello?"

"**Hey, Amy…tired of being alone, yet?" **Rouge spoke tauntingly. The pink female looked around the room, her cereal still hadn't been poured.

"…To be honest, yes." Amy said, disappointed in herself. _Because reclusion is the best way to handle emotional distress…_ she thought to herself sarcastically.

"**Well, luckily for you, I know a great place for the two of us to hang out and catch up. No boys allowed." **The ivory bat on the other end said.

"Depends…where are we going?"

"**Oh, you know me. I think it's best we keep it a surprise."** the bat laughed. The rosy girl fumed, but soon relaxed.

"Okay, fine."

"**Alright, I'll drop by in about fifteen minutes and we'll go from there. See you then."**

Without a response from the hedgehog, Rouge hung up and the rosy female was once again embraced with silence. She looked at her cereal and sighed, deciding against it, and put all she got out away before going back to her room to dress.

And just when she said she wasn't going anywhere…

* * *

"Oh, Rouge…you didn't have to…" Amy looked around, standing in front of a gourmet cake shop, which just so happened to be her favorite in the entire city.

"But I did! That's what best friends are for." The ivory bat replied, hugging the pink female. Upon walking inside, the smell of frosting instantly threw itself in their noses, making Amy shiver in delight. _I can't believe how long it's been since I've come here,_ she thought.

"Do you even have enough money for one of these cakes?" she asked.

"I'm not worried about me not having a cake. This is just for you, so pick whichever one you want!" Rouge exclaimed, wagging a scolding finger at her. Amy made a mental note to do something for the ivory bat in the near future. Looking at the menu, she immediately spotted the one she wanted.

"I want…the peach ice-cream cake."

"Peach ice-cream cake? Is that even a thing?" Rouge asked jokingly. All the rosy girl did was point to the menu and the bat's eyes went wide, "Wow…it _is_ a thing…" The hedgehog giggled at her friend.

"That isn't too much for you, is it?" Amy asked.

"Of course not, hon. But I don't think a lot of this 'peach ice-cream' can be a good thing…" the bat trailed off. A person couldn't like peaches that much to make into an ice-cream, let alone put it on a cake! The idea sounded absurd to her.

Amy just simply said, "I can handle it."

"Alright, then. I'll be back." Rouge said sassily and went off to order it. The pink female went and sat down at a table. She sighed as she looked around. Of course, the female still had her actions on her mind, even when she was in her own personal haven. She remembers a faint memory of when Shadow had brought her here a while back, before the whole intentional and inevitable heartbreak situation.

Rouge would totally flip if she found out it was originally Shadow's favorite… she giggled at the thought.

~.~

"What am I supposed to do now? I tried to confess to her and she blows up in my face! What…did I do wrong?"

"For one thing, you can get off my bed."

Sonic raised his head some and looked at the heels of the light brown chipmunk standing in front of him. With a grunt, his head lolled, while he tried to turn over. Soon, he was on his back and looking at the female as she held her hands to her hips.

"Your role is the therapist, remember Sally?" he said, blinking lazily.

"No, my role is a princess, and I've had a long day. I would like to rest." Sally said.

"But…I'm sad…" he whined childishly.

"You can't keep running to me with your girl problems. I have a life and I'm hoping you have one too, and not waste it moping over a girl." the chipmunk stated crossing her arms.

"It's not just _a girl_, it's Amy."

"And this makes a difference because?"

"Because Amy isn't the heartbreaking type. But she broke mine, and I need to talk about it with someone."

"So, talk to _her_ about it." Sally said, trying to reason with the stubborn blue hedgehog. The girl came in her room hoping to get a quick power nap, but didn't expect a blue male to be there waiting for her, mumbling about…this.

"I…I can't…" he muttered, pouting.

"And why not?"

" 'cause…I'm mad at her." The light brown female held a blank expression. If he didn't sound like a child before, he certainly did now. This was not the hedgehog she knew so long ago.

"Then that's your problem."

"But I need help! I don't want to be mad at her, but I can't help it!" Sonic cried.

Sally sighed, "What exactly did you do to her and what did she do to you?" she asked, sitting on the bed next to him.

"Okay, so she was basically hanging out with Shadow to spite me. I didn't like it too much and it seems that Shadow may or may not have liked her too, but I tried to confess my feelings, and she blew up in my face. She slapped me and I guess I just lost it-"

"_You hit her?!"_ Sally shrieked.

"No no! I would never!"

She gave him a questioning eyebrow, "Alright, continue…"

"Anyways, I didn't hit her…I kissed her. She didn't really like it at first," he said, rubbing his arm shyly, to which Sally rolled her eyes to, "But she came around, and after, she ran away from me. Turns out Shadow saw us, and got all mad about it, so we were yelling at each other, until he just…backed down. Made his last remark and walked off, of course, I didn't want him to have the last word, so shouted and next thing I knew, Amy was gone." he finished.

"…So why are _you_ mad at her?"

"Because she just ran off! I haven't heard from her in three days and I don't know if anyone else has either."

"Again, why are _you_ mad at _her?"_

"Didn't you hear me, Sally?! I just said-" he stopped mid-sentence when he realized what she actually meant. He got his feelings when she lost hers and to just push that on to her like that…you could it would more or less overwhelm her. And rather than shock, all the heartache she's had (though, in his defense, he did hang around from time to time before…) would make her somewhat angry.

"Are you going to talk to her?" Sally finally asked.

"Were you trying to make me have an epiphany?" Sonic asked accusingly with a smirk. With a smile and a roll of her eyes, she shrugged.

"Not exactly. I just you to go away so I can rest. You do know this is my house, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going."

* * *

Amy took a spoon and ate the peach-flavored ice-cream first, as Rouge ate on a slice of strawberry shortcake. They headed back to Amy's house and sat in the living room. The TV was off, and it had gotten darker outside, but it didn't stop the females.

"So…what's the plan now?" Rouge asked. Amy licked her spoon and shrugged before getting a fork to eat the cake.

"I don't know. What can I do?"

"It's been three days, Amy. You can't hide forever." the ivory female stated.

"I can try…" Amy muttered, sinking slightly in her seat.

"Well, not that you would know, but Shadow is really…heartbroken, I guess."

"Shadow? Heartbroken?" she gasped out of shock. Had she really meant that much to the ebony male? So much so that she really did break his heart?

"I guess he is. He's not all that keen on explaining his inner turmoil, you know?"

"I know, but…"

"You need to talk to one of them, if not both. I won't sit and say, just go to Shadow, but do something at least." Rouge stated.

"…"

The ivory female sighed and finished the last of her cake before standing, "Amy you can't expect them to always come back to _you._ Sometimes, you have to make the first move." and with that the female left.

Looking at the fork in her hand and the cake, she sighed and put it on the table and caught sight of the figurine once more. With a sudden boost of energy, she rushed out the door as well.

~.~

Shadow growled as he stomped down the stairs from his bedroom. The continuous knocking at his door would not stop and it was becoming irritating. Whoever was there surely had red knuckled by now, because at first he was going to ignore it, but it got louder…and louder…and became banging.

_**KnockKnockKnockKnockKnockKnockKnockKnock**_

With a snarl, he angrily unlocked the door and ripped it open before confusion washed over his face.

"Amy…?"

* * *

**Somewhat short chapter, but we know who's won!**

**All voted were counted up until this update…or rather until I picked up my laptop…so, the four to five days didn't last because of my busy week. I couldn't keep up with it, so I counted at the end and these were the results. Sorry to those who voted for Sonamy. Like I said, Shadamy won by at least three points. Guest reviews/votes counted too.**

**And sorry for the late update. I'll try to get the next chapter out faster, but no promises and hopefully it'll be longer than this.**

**But anyway, please leave a comment on how you might've liked it or how it could be improved. Until then… -D.A.K**


	12. A Possible Mrs Gloom and Doom

**Hmmm…it seems a person or two doesn't like the way the poll ended and some even cast a late vote… I am willing to make a compromise with you guys and all it takes is a few people saying yes. **

**How about a Sonamy version of this story? Of course, it'd be no different besides everything AFTER last chapter and would more than likely start there if a second version were**** made. But, what do you guys think? Yes, no, maybe, don't care? Honestly, I'm game to broaden my horizons. Or would it be too much?**

_**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own any STH characters used in this story. They belong to SEGA. Anything else _**(brand-name, song, etc.)**_ also doesn't belong to me.

* * *

x*Even Friendships Are Complicated*x

-Chapter Twelve: A Possible Mrs. Gloom and Doom-

* * *

Shadow wasn't as surprised to see her at his door, but more rather he was surprised she came to him at all. Of course, he was happy…and angry…and maybe a little suspicious about it, but seeing her here was a surprise.

"Um…" she started, rocking on her heels, "Can I come in?" Amy asked, looking at her shoes.

Shadow said nothing as he stepped aside and the pink female meekly stepped inside and stood a little ways in as he closed the door. Once closed, he gestured for her to take a seat on the couch, which she did. He sat down next to her, albeit a few inches separating them, and thus silence consumed the room. After so long, the impatient ebony hedgehog started tapping his foot against the floor, and the sound rang out as it hit the wood.

Finally, he couldn't stand it, "What is it you're here for?" he asked. Amy visibly winced at his harsh tone and looked at her shoes again.

"I-I wanted to…apologize…"

"Apologize for what?"

"For, um…hurting you?" His crimson orbs went in her direction with a raised eyebrow and sneer.

"You? Hurt me? Whatever gave you the idea?" Shadow scoffed, crossing his arms.

Twiddling with her thumbs, "Um, well…maybe you thought I liked you, but seeing me with Sonic…and with that…you hate me…" she didn't have her words together, he could obviously tell. She had rehearsed it in her mind, but the shocked look on his face when he opened the door made everything fly out the window- and she wasn't even in the house!

"Hate is a strong word." he muttered.

"So…you don't hate me?" Amy asked, with a glimmer of hope. But he still wore a frown.

"Oh, no. I don't hate you, but to say I wasn't upset or anything along the lines would be an understatement. You have enough sense to know _that_ don't you?" Shadow asked, glaring at her. Under his gaze, she felt so small. And it was bad enough he was taller than her, even sitting down. Instead of speaking, she merely nodded.

"So, again, why are you here?"

"To apologize…"

"I got that. Apologize about _what?_"

"I don't know…" she whimpered.

"So how can you apologize when you don't know what you're apologizing for?" he asked. His tone was calm, but even he couldn't hide the hurt it held, with just a bit menacing. Amy whimpered, on the verge of tears. The tone scared her. Wounds took time to heal, though Shadow had a good way of concealing the hurt; lashing out. If she wasn't careful, he would very likely forcefully remove her from his home…and he may not be all too careful about it.

"…I don't know…" she whimpered again.

"Then you can leave." he simply said, standing. He was at least courteous enough to open the door for her, but it was more in a mocking way. A final way of 'shutting-you-out-of-my-life' kind of mocking.

"P-Please, just let me explain!" Amy exclaimed.

"Explain what? Why bring back the past? Do you even know why you're _really_ here?" he asked, the crimson of his eye growing brighter, if possible. It was silent once again. The pink female looked down while Shadow idly gazed at her for an answer.

After thinking, she finally gave it, "I wanted to apologize for my…stupidity. What I did was wrong, to the _both_ of you. My intentions were never to hurt you, or Sonic, but I….I just-I just wanted Sonic to go through what I did. The feeling of loving somebody but you know they don't feel the same way… Although Rouge originally suggested this, I should've just went about it my way. I…I want to be your friend…"

The impassive look on his face stopped her. The door was still wide open, letting in the October breeze that had kicked up. He still remained silent, even after she stopped.

_So, this is it…? He's just going to end it…?_

Sighing, she began to make her way out, looking at the ground. She jumped when she felt him pull at her wrist, not as hard as Sonic had unintentionally had, but enough to make her stop. She squeaked when he pulled her back towards him and met the fluffy, white fur on his chest. Amy blushed as her ears laid against her head.

He was…_hugging_ her.

She blushed harder when Shadow laid his head atop of hers. This was…new to her. And to him, possibly. She listened to his heartbeat until he spoke.

Shadow sighed, "Look, I don't want to be angry. I really don't. And…I'm not. But, if this is to ever work between us, some things are going to need to be set straight." he told her softly.

"Like what?"

"Like you still in love with Sonic."

Amy pulled away just enough to see his face, "I'm not in love with Sonic." she said, but even he could hear the hesitation as she did.

"Really, now? You seemed pretty in to that _kiss_…" he muttered loud enough to be heard, as if it were a secret. Amy blushed harder, realizing he was teasing her now.

"That was a one-time thing. He only kissed me once." she defended.

"As have I." he retorted, not missing a beat. Of course, he wouldn't make it easy for her.

"Then how does that make me in love with him and not you?"

"Did you not mention that all this was just to spite Sonic and give him forced karma?"

"Yeah, but…I still want to be your friend."

"Yet, it took one bad date to push you towards me?"

"You make no sense…"

"Neither do you."

Amy stared at the stubborn hedgehog before her. All this just made her think about how foolish it was to follow through with Rouge's silly little plan. And Shadow's asking-a-question-to-answer-a-question answers were confusing her further still.

She sighed, "What do I have to do to prove to you I'm not in love with Sonic?"

"What do you want to do?"

"Damn it, Shadow! Stop!" Amy cried. She was near pulling at her quills if he asked another question! And he had a small smirk on his face, too…

"It would prove only fair I ask the questions."

"No, you're doing this to infuriated me. I know your mind games!" she exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger. This elicited a not too common snicker out of the male.

"So you say." Shadow threw back.

"I'm trying to be serious, Shadow-"

"As am I."

"-and I can't do that if _you_ don't take this seriously!" the pink female whined, crossing her arms and pouting.

He smirked, "Well, I certainly can't take you seriously with that face." Adding on, she blushed again.

"Stop it!" she cried, looking away. He was getting a kick out of this, and all she was doing was providing the entertainment. Yet, not too long ago, _he_ was the one yelling and glaring.

"As much as I would love to continue irritating you, you must go." Shadow suddenly said. Her jade orbs went back to him in a panic.

"W-Why?"

"Because if you haven't noticed, it ten o'clock at night and I'd like to sleep." he said, crossing his arms. For some reason, he looked better doing it.

"But…what about-?"

"We can further discuss this tomorrow." he said cutting her off.

"But you said-"

"Tomorrow, Amy."

"But-"

"Amy."

"Shadow," the smaller hedgehog glared at him, warning him to stop cutting her off, "What about Sonic?" Amy asked.

"That's your problem, not mine." Shadow said emotionless. He spun her around and gave her a little shove out the door.

"But you just said-"

"I need to sleep. That's what I said. Goodbye, Rose." he shoved her further out, and shut the door before she could call out to him again.

It took every thing within him to not open the door again. He had forgiven her…slightly, with the challenge of how she handles Sonic after what had been said, but he _so_ wanted to hold her again.

_But that would show weakness…I can't let her know she…no, that is weakness. You will not open that door, Shadow. Will not._

He marched up to his room and went to sleep with no problem. But he found his dreams to be consumed by the female…

~.~

That night didn't come easy for Amy, but she woke up to hear her doorbell going off like crazy. And as she descended the stairs, she noticed how loud it had been and wondered how long it'd been going off…or how long the _person_ had pushed the tiny button…

Flinging the door open, ready to lash out, the tired pink female was encased by two arms and greeted by frantic breathing.

"Oh, thank God! I thought something bad happened to you, Ames!" Sonic…of course it was Sonic…

"What are you…" she didn't get a chance to finish as he scooped her up and carried her to the couch, but not before closing the door with his foot as he went.

"Are you okay? I called you last night, but you didn't answer. I've rung the doorbell since ten."

_Ten? Has he not heard of people SLEEPING at ten in the morning?!_

"Sonic, I was sleep." Amy stated as calmly as she could.

"Well, duh, I know that now. But you usually answer the phone at night. You normally stay up late on the weekends, don't you?"

"Yeah, but-"

"I was so worried! Don't you ever do that again!" Sonic reprimanded her, like a father talking to a child. _And_ he cut her off.

"Sonic-"

"Are you sure you're okay? Maybe you have amnesia? You remember my name…but maybe somebody could've hit you? Nobody hit you did they?! If they did, I'll-"

"Sonic, _shut up and listen,_" Amy said through gritted teeth. The priceless silent 'o' shape of his mouth came with the shock on his face, "I am obviously fine. I didn't stay up last night because I was tired and some people are still _sleep_ at ten in the morning." the rosy girl stated.

"Oh…sorry 'bout that."

Amy sighed, "It's fine, but don't jump to conclusions all the time. Even if someone had attacked me, I'd have knocked them into the middle of next week." she said, with a confident smile.

"I don't doubt it, it's just…I need to talk to you. Like, now." Sonic said. The rosy girl didn't think it was possible, but the hedgehog talked, and thought just as fast as he ran.

"Um…about that…"

"No, I want to apologize for what I did. You know…the kissing thing. Um…you were right. It didn't just happen. I was a bit jealous of you and Shadow hanging out, 'cause I'm so used to you chasing after me all the time. That was unfair of me to do that; to force me feelings onto you. We had a good thing goin', us being friends, y'know? But I ruined that-"

"Sonic, shut up. You talk too much." Amy said, cutting him off with a smile. He returned a sheepish smile of his own.

"Yeah, I know."

"And I'm sorry for lashing out at you like that. You can hit me to make us even if you want." she said, holding out the back of her hand. Sonic contemplated it, but shook his head.

"Nah. I don't hit women, even if they hit me first. But in the _bedroom_…that's a whole different story…" he said with a smirk. Amy blushed when he said that.

"Are you hitting on me?" Amy asked.

"Nope. I'm just saying. Plus, I never _hit_ you…" he replied casually. The smaller hedgehog gave him a look.

"Don't say it again." she said. He just smiled at her.

"Anyways, can we still be friends? I mean, not that I wouldn't try to be your boyfriend and all, but something tells me you like Shadow a lot more." Sonic said.

"Wh-What makes you say that?"

"Tell the truth; he was your first kiss?" Her jade green orbs looked to the floor as her blushed grew brighter.

"Yes…"

"And there it is. Not only that, I think Mr. Gloom and Doom might've found his Mrs. Gloom and Doom." he smirked, as she blushed harder, if possible. Was it her or was she blushing a lot lately?

"Whatever, Sonic." Amy said muttered before standing. He followed and went towards the door.

"I'm not mad atcha! Just don't turn him too soft, we may need him to fight sometime soon!" Sonic laughed. Amy rolled her eyes as he left.

Somehow, that talk went a lot better than it did with Shadow. Even if he had forgiven her…slightly. With Sonic okay with them being together, she had nothing to worry about now.

Unless Shadow doesn't want to be together anymore…

* * *

Rouge watched with skeptical eyes as Sonic sauntered up to the Commander's office's door and without so much as knocking, he walked in. Despite having given her thieving ways - somewhat - she couldn't help but listen to why Sonic would have any business with the GUN commander. Putting a skillful ear to the doors, she focused on their conversation.

"Alright, general, let's not waste time about why I need you, but why _you_ need _me_."

"You have a lot of nerve coming in here like that Sonic…" the commander sounded irritated. Not many people went in like he did and not expect repercussions.

"I know, I know. But I'm getting to the point if ya let me!" That was Sonic alright.

"…" There was a moment of silence, before Sonic broke it again.

"Okay. You see, I got a proposition for you. You see, a certain friend of mine is…might be going off to college soon. And I've done some research, dug around a little, and wouldn't you happen to know that a certain _someone_ is causing some trouble at that same school. It's come to my attention that he's under your radar…"

"Yes, so?"

"How about letting me on the case to help out?"

"I can't do that. You don't work here."

"That's where you could be wrong. Shadow's on the case, so he basically has full knowledge on what the maniac will do, but does Rouge?"

_Well! That jerk!_

"Even so, what makes you so qualified for that job that she can't do?"

"I've fought the man for most of my life, commander. Need I say more?"

_Say no. Say no. Say no._

"…Alright, I'll give you a chance." there was obvious reluctance in his voice.

"Thanks a bunch! Don't worry my friend, I assure you they're no trouble to the case."

"Just when are 'they' going off to this school?"

"Probably next year. They were never one to do paperwork…" he snickered.

"And would this be the best time to send you off?"

"Probably."

"…You're dismissed." The sound of a chair scrapping across the tile floor was heard and Rouge scrambled to get away from it just as it opened and the blue hedgehog walked out with a grin.

_Just what is he on about?_ Rouge thought.

* * *

**Somewhat longer, but same amount of time to get it out. Sorry for the late update, you guys. My reason for so, is pretty ridiculous…other than school, it seems I've become rather addicted to a video game. But, I put it down long enough to write this, so I'm on a head start to breaking the habit. I WILL try to get next chapter out before two weeks have passed.**

**And I WILL try to make it even longer than this.**

**Please leave a comment on how you might've liked it, or how it could be improved. Until next time… -D.A.K**

**EDIT 11/3/14: The last of the chapter will be explain late in the story, don't worry! :)**


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